What We've Been Up To

 Monday, April 8, 2023

Spring is here!

Or as much as it can be in April here. My daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and snow is forecast for tomorrow. The nice weather is giving me spring fever, so I went downstairs to clean up around my summer plants and took a few outside on the deck, right next to the door, so I can take them in again tonight. I feel like I want to be outside taking care of last year's garden trash, but I still have laundry in the washer and dryer, and dishes in the dishwasher.

Jim is gone for the week on an our of town job, so Lynette and I could live in complete squalor until Friday afternoon and only do fun things. Except,  really don't like that, I want a better example of house keeping for her to see, besides she has to work and has loads of art homework to do. 

Jim is gone for the week on an out of town job, 

I've been celebrating my birthday for weeks now. Sunday, we finally had my "birthday dinner" at Red Lobster, I had crab fettuccini, and discovered that my throat is not ready for garlic mashed potatoes. The crab was good though. 

I got this absolutely darling yarn bowl in the mail from my sister-in-law, and promptly put it to use with the yarn Jim gave me for my birthday. It was just the thing for all that ribbony, fluffy and easily tangled up yarn. I love it!

I didn't take many photos of the boys while I was sick, and sometime I want to chronicle those boys' development last year, but here they are on a recent visit to Gramma's house. These boys have more fun with balloons. Barry just throws his in the air and chuckles. Zane likes to have one blown up and let go before tying and laughs watching it spin around the room. After an adult blows one up, Zane can blow it up himself. 

Papa's Boys

I picked up Barry for the first time since I was sick this week. I'm so glad I can really enjoy these boys.

Spring Jonquils

April 8, 2023--Not very good photos of the boys. I'm glad I have any. 

4 comments:

Dan & Cyndie said...

Love seeing the pre-cancer normalness returning to you life, my dear friend!!!

And yes, we are having typical "spring" weather for Nebraska aren't we?! :)

April 9. 2013 at 7:47 AM

Dorothy said...

Oh, Shelley, I just kind of got a lump in my throat reading this...it is so so so nice that you are getting to enjoy the "normal" life joys once again. UP here, we are remembering your visit a year ago, when you had a sinus headache that just wouldn't go away. Ashley and I keep saying how wonderful it is that the future is hidden from us. We're trying to get spring too, but we definitely haven't had as much success as you. No jonquils anywhere in sight. So, yesterday we went through the Como Conservatory (remember that?) and got our eyes full of spring flowers again. 

April 9, 2013 at 7:52 AM

The J's said...

Ah! love those spring flowers--& the pot is darling! :)

We've had green shoots coming up for a while now, but they'll be delayed now with this cold & snow that returned. 

April 9, 2013 at 10:09 AM

Darcie said...

Well. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' friend...don't know how I missed wishing you it earlier. 

Enjoy your spring like days! :-)

April 9, 2013j at 11:09 AM

Back to Our Regular Programming

 Thursday, March 21, 2013

I see two schools of thought when it comes to blogging. The day to day chat of daily life, or the thought-provoking posts meant to inspire. It is too difficult to post the thought-provoking kind all the time, although some people seem to be able to produce that sort of thing in the daily life post. I blog mainly because I want to. 

I want to chronicle my life and if thought provoking pops out, so be it. 

Actually, I like to read about daily lives. It's interesting how other people life and what they do. 

I said in mu last post that I wouldn't be writing any more cancer posts. That doesn't mean I won't ever mention it again. Cancer has been and the results are a part of my life. My life, my way of life has been changed forever and my posts will reflect that. But, it doesn't dominate my life and my way of thinking anymore. It's still up there in my thinking, but not dominating. 

Here I get ready to talk about ordinary life, and I can't remember much of what happened in March. Since when is life to go so fast when you are ill?  I went to the theater booster meeting and volunteered for treasurer and the scholarship committee. This is the first meeting I've been to all year. I've been grocery shopping by myself. I bought  bunch of new yarn and finished a couple of afghans. I have m tax stuff in to the accountant. I've washed loads of clothes, cleaned house, knitted crocheted, read, cooked, done office work for Jim, fed the cats and kept the fire buring. Oh, and dishes, too. I've not hounded my daughter enough to practice the piano. We've been out to eat, had mother/daughter shopping and eating, in short, just normal stuff and I'm enjoying it. (Well, maybe not the laundry and dishes.) No wonder the time goes fast. 

Here are a few pictures of things in March. 

Lynette and I were busy in the kitchen

Flower topped lemon meringue pies, by Lynette

Mini cheesecakes and dipped strawberries

My first coconut cream pie. Jim loves it. 

Cool t-shirt, made by Lynette with bleach.

6 comments:

The Chairman's Wife said...

I like regular programming of ordinary days. Your pie looks wonderful. If you lived closer I would come have a piece.!

March 21. 2013 at 8:50 AM

Renee said...

Ordinary, normal...it's my favorite way of life...! Lynette's tee shirt is fabulous! She could start her own line of Tees! I didn't know bleach could be so artistic.!!!

March 21, 2013 at 2:05 PM

The J's said...

Lovely post. I was just thinking about the blogging issue earlier today. I was missing what the aspect of ""just blogging"--recording the ordinary days of earlier months. I really appreciate those who do. I enjoy reading them. Facebook swallows up a lot of that, and FB as much as I enjoy it, is simply not the same. 

March 21, 2013 at 10:15 PM

Anita said...

That is a great t-shirt!

March 22, 2013 at 9:34 AM

Darcie said...

That pie looks SOOO good, and would wind down my evening perfectly...but alas, I will have to visually enjoy it. 

LOVE ordinary days...more of those days than the others.

March 22, 2013j at 7:50 PM

Oleva said..

So glad you are "able" to move on, tho I'm sure there si more to "it" than you are saying or meets the eye!!! Sure appreciate all you shore, just wish it was the pie, too :) We are looking forward to having your SIL times 2 next week. Feel very privileged!!!! Haven't seem a pix of those cute grandsons for a long time !!?

Love,

Carl and Oleva

March 26, 2013 at 9:12 AM

There IS a Photo, Really!

 Monday, March 4, 2013

Like I promised, here is my picture, the way I looked on Sunday morning. I really wanted to have this picture earlier, but everyone else is so busy I had a hard time getting it taken. If my photographers that live here weren't busy, I was in my pajamas. Or I looked tired. Or something. 

My hair is long enough now it is over the tips of my ears, and long enough to give me bedhead It is a little fluffy and very soft. 

And there is something new about me. Can you tell?

13 comments:

The J's said...

VERY cute! You look fantastic! Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

March 4, 2013 at 3:46 PM

Lynisha Weeda said...

New glasses?

March 4, 2013 at 3:50 PM

Brenda said...

Really nice pictures!! I really studied those pictures and all I can think is like Lynisha. 

Maybe new glasses!?

March 4. 2013 at 3:56 PM

Renee said...

Oh yes, definitely new glasses and they are lovely. Great and wonderful photos of you, I like your white jacket!!!

March 4, 2013 at 4:03 PM

The Chairman's Wife said...

You look like you're in your 30's! Love your smile and you updates!

March 4. 2013 at 4:12 PM

Dorothy said...

GLASSES!! Love 'em! Super good choice for you, and I hope they work just dandy on those poor eyes that have taken a "hit" too.

I, like others, love the normalcy of reading Shelley blogs!

Love, Dodie

March 4, 2013 at 4:53 PM

Brenda said...

I vote new glasses! You look so cute! Makes me smile!

March 4. 2013 at 6:51 PM

John and Sandy Linder said...

You are looing great and I like your outfit!

March 4, 2013 at 9:44 PM

Janis said...

It's so good to check in and see your updates again. And your smiling face! :) Keep up the good work!

March 4, 2013 at 11:14 PM

Anita said...

Very nice! Love the shirt with your eyes!!

March 5, 2013 at 6:45 AM

Sharon said...

Looking good dear lady and I love the glasses, too!! Take care! :)

March 5, 2013 at 2:06 PM

Raimie said...

Dear auntie, 

Your glasses are very nice and it's good to see your smiling face today! Having a sweet and smiling outlook it such a big part of the healing process, isn't it? Proud of you, auntie!

love, 

Raimie

March 5, 2013 at 8:57 PM

Lanae said...

You look fantastic!

March 10, 2013 at 4:10 PM

Eating to Live, Not Living to Eat

 Friday, February 15, 2013

I am planning that the NEXT post will have a picture of me on it. Right now, I don't have anyone to take the picture, my "office", in which resides the computer my photos are on (I'm not going to put them on this laptop) is being occupied by a very special lady. I also have a very special reason for waiting, and you all will just have to wait, too. 

So, the new news in the recovery process, is that Tuesday, we went to Omaha to meet with the swallow therapist to see how things are going. I wrote down some of the things I have eaten and told her about them, too. It's pretty exciting to be able to say I've eaten cake and pie (smooshed up with ice cream) and that I've tried ham and chicken, and meatloaf, and shrimp. Soup is a life saver, because I can get it down when I don't feel like eating. 

Because, sometimes I don't feel like eating. It is boring. Things don't taste bad, they just don't have much taste. I used to LOVE eating; things always tasted so good. I loved eating to the extent that I weighed more pounds than I care to admit before surgery. I started to lose some of that before surgery because it was getting harder to eat. I couldn't breathe through my nose very well. I've lost more learning to eat again, and I'm down to m limit. I set myself a certain amount to eat on my plate and make myself eat it. I drink a glass of milk with revery meal, for the extra calories. Some meals I don't want to face food at all and drink an ensure. But, I'm being careful. I have to eat to have stamina, I have to eat to keep alive. I need some Culver's custard to help with that, too. 

For lunch we had beef and noodles. They were a little drier than some food I've eaten but with drinking milk after every bite, very doable. I felt like I was eating "real" food, food that everybody else was eating, not some I made especially for me. the upside to this, is that I found it ready made in the freezer, so it was easy to heat and eat, since we have company. 

The therapist was very pleased with my progress, I've met all my goals, swallowing, chewing, eating out, and eating in front of other people. She planned I would meet my goals in March, and I was done a month early. I am finished with therapy!! YAY!! In fact, she was so pleased she called the doctor in to show me off. (We hadn't planned to see him that day.) So, we had a little celebration

 all together. And then, Jim and I went out to eat at Valentino's.

I had big ideas last spring to go all through the house and tidy and de-clutter and throw away. Instead I took a trip down Cancer Way. So, I'm slowly working on some things now. The bathroom that was full of medicine and other medical paraphernalia (did you know that word has two "r's" in it, I didn't) is now pared down to only the stuff that is being used now. 

I've started on my bedroom, which has been a dumping ground for stuff for too long. I hung up lying around clothes and sorted our our dresser. Jim helped me clean the bathroom closet, and we took bags of stuff to the good will, that had been there for months. It is starting to fell up again as I sort. I won't wait as long for taking them away as I did before. 

I use my sitting down, resting time to knit and crochet. What fun it is to make things again. 

3 comments:

The J's said...

Shelley, it makes me SO happy to read this!

Wonderful, just wonderful! (and I so appreciated Dorothy's comment on you last (I think?) post!

February 15, 2013 at 10:18 PM

Renee said...

This post brought happy happy smiles. To think of you knitting again is perfectly splendid!

February 17, 2013 at 8:25 PM

Anita said...

Your comment about loving food really hit home with me. Food is such a special thing...I can't imagine what it's like for you now - ot have to eat to live, but notj really getting pleaseure out of your food. 

And - congrats on successfully completely your terapy. That's one mroe steip on the road to leaving cancer behind you! Our friend and co-worker here was diagnosed this winder with cancer and it us (me, at any rate) quite hard. We've had a lot of cancer conversations since then but the one that remember best is someone quoting another breast cancer survivor who said: In retrospect, m cancer was nothing more than a speed bump. I found it hard to comprehend that she could look at it like that...but it was also quite encouraging (thinking of my friend here). I hope that the day comes for you, too, when you'll look back on what amounts to a speed bump! xo

March 5, 2013 at 6:44 AM

I Can't Smell But I Can Hear

 Friday, February 8, 2013

Once in a very great while I struggle with my taste and smell issues, but usually not for very long. Especially now that I am finding things that I think taste good when I eat them. I just don't think about it. I push the "oh, I will never smell that again" out of my mind for the most part, or else, take a little time to smell in my brains and think how I appreciated what I could smell back then. Another good exercise is to remember some others who are struggling with far worse issues than no smelling. 

Actually, I do smell a little bit, but the kind of smelling this is, so the doctors say, is a chemical reation in the brain no a stimulation of the olfactory nerve which makes a true smell. For example, Kleenex has a smell, and so does the inside of my nose once in a while. Ammonia is another "smell", maybe I should say odor, that really isn't a smell at all. It's the chemical reaction thingy again. 

\And I can smell that for sure. 

Anyway, about the hearing bit. I went in this afternoon to have the ENT doctor evaluate my ears and hopefully but tubes in to relieve the pressure from the fluid behind my ear drums. My Omaha doctor recommend this after three months of no improvement and my hearing was getting worse.

In fact, it was so bad these two weeks I couldn't hear Jim when he was sitting next to me at the table speaking in a normal tone of voice. So after a hearing test to make sure the nerves weren't damaged, I have the tubes put in right there in the office. It isn't exactly a pleasant experience either. Although, I've had plenty of worse ones. I am getting a big tired of being poked around on. The ear drum is numbed before they put the tube in, but in order to numb it, well...that part hurts. The 10 seconds or so they took to put the numbing medicine in took a long time, and I wasn't so keen to have it done the second time. 

But, as soon as the fluid was suctioned out and the tube in, I could tell a big difference. It was no longer like listening to people through a fog.

I wondered when I got home now much hearing normal things would bother me. They don't bother me, but it is like..."oh, I hear the refrigerator running", and my skirt swishing, and...did you know toilet paper makes a noise when you handle it?

Well, it does.

It is really nice to hear people when they are talking a room away. I just hope my Eustachian tubes decide to open back up again after awhile, although we were just informed that this a very normal after radiation and they may or may not open up again. Errgh.

I wonder ow many more surprises there are in store.

5 comments:

The J's said...

Lots of things that we take for granted and don't think about surgery/meds etc. affecting those parts either. It does make us realize how much worse some have it tho', and I'm sure to simply appreciate life, too. 

February 8. 2013 at 6:26 PM

Darcie said...

Hope you can hear this...YOU have inspired me by your courage through all you have faced this last while. That has come through so loud and clear to all that have watched you. Hear is to hearing. :-)

February 9, 2013 at 4:01 PM

Renee said...

It's just SO nice to have you up and "running" again. What I mean is...new Blog posts...and FB posts...that are JUST like the Shelley we know and love. YaY!

February 11, 2013 at 10:13 AM

Anita said...

3 cheers for hearing!

(PS-I enjoyed the dream recounts on the last post!)

February 12, 2013 at 8:48 AM

Dorothy said...

I just keep going back and rereading your recent posts; now nice to have your observations once again! Your non-wordsmith SIL can't even being to describe how good it is! However...the long absence of posts helped me understand a phase of cancer treatment that I totally did not even twig to until now...with my apologies to Bon for being so unaware, a few years back, of what can happen after treatment is finished. Since your "Getting Back to Normal" post, I've talked to a number of people who have had treatment, and everyone of them have agreed that there is a whole gamut of feelings that range from a feeling of isolation to depression to paranoia. So...besides just the pleasure we all get from your compelling essays or whatever you call them...you have let some of us in on how it really is, and hopefully we ca be more perceptive in our encounters with other, in the future.

Happy Day after Valentine's Day!

February 15, 2013 at 10:49 AM

A Milestone

 Thursday, February 7, 2013

Today really is a milestone for me. This morning, I presented myself in the surgery center at 6:30 am and was prepped for the first surgery of the day with my surgeon to have my feeding tube and port removed. I am SO happy to have the extra hardware O-U-T! My port never did work well. If is was used again after a few days had passed, it would be plugged up with a fibrous membrane over the little tube in my vein and had to be de-clogged with a $500 medicine. Every time chemo started up again, we would have to wait an extra half hour for the medicine to open up the catheter tube so we could begin. In face, one time, the started me on the IV for a jump start. Because of that, the port was only used for the chemo, all the other blood draws were done by the normal poke in the vein method. You know, I am tired of being poked.

Taking the tube out is really a very simple process. They just pull itj out. They usually just do that in the office. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it, so I am very glad that I could have it done at the same time as the port removal. They don't even stitch it up. The hole in the stomach will seal up in less than eight hours and the outside one in about 48. They don't put a stitch in because of infection since the hole has had access to the outside of the body. 

Since the port was clear under the skin, it took a little longer with stitches being used inside. They just put steri-strips on the outside which wear off in time, no stitches needing taken out. 

I am now learning what I can eat, and what I can't, what tastes good and what doesn't. My mouth is still very senstive and anything spicy or acidy hurts. so I am going for bland foods. I try new things to see how they work and I am learning to chew again. Mostly, if a food is bland and wet I can eat it. Thinks like canned pears, cottage cheese, chicken noodle soup, cheesy broccoli soup, potatoes, carrots and canned peas in white sauce. 

Meat doesn't work very well yet. It is all about learning to manage food and my tongue all over again. However, I am making progres in this area in leaps and bounds and I'm working on volume. I did lose some more wight during this process, but I don't want to lose too much. And with food comes strength.

There are some funny things that have happened in this recovery process. I was going ot do a separate post about some dream I had during chemo, but I think I'll just put them here:

Two really funny things from my chemo brain

Saturday afternoon I heard Lynette's voice as I was waling from a nap, eyes still closed, and I thought, "It must be 4:00 Lynette is home from school wow, I've had a two hour nap." When I sat up, the clock said only 3:00. I started to sputter as well as I could with my limited speaking skills, to ask why Lynette was home from school so early. My mom and Lynette looked at me in utter disbelief as they announced, "This is Saturday!"

I went back to my nap.

One night, I poked Jim in my sleep and he woke up and asked it I wanted something I shook my head and we went back to sleep and I poked him again! He asked again if I wanted something and I didn't. I happen a third time and Jim was really awake this time and asked why I kept poking if I didn't need anything. I was awake too, and I think this was what was going on, I was dreaming that Jim was saying, "If you need something, let me know." And I was "letting him know", all in my dream. Since it was all a dream we both went back to sleep and there was no more poking. 

Another really strange thing that happened was when the hair on my arms and legs was starting to grow back in. One day, I noticed bumps all over my arms and legs. Looking closely I saw little round circles just under the skin. It looked like ingrown hairs and I poked at one with a pair of tweezers. Sure enough, here the hairs were growing round and round just under the skin. I pulled some out with the tweezers and otherwise just scratched or rubbed the rest. I think they are eventually working out themselves as time goes on. 

And yes, I know you people would liie to see a picture of me with my hair on, but i won't take the time today. I'd like to have a picture taken before it gets any longer and it curls. At least, it is supposed to and m sister-in-law gave me tips on how to help it when it gets a little longer. It is long enough, (a little over an inch) that it sometimes needs combed down. 

Especially my crown that want to stick up, combing or no combing.

I mentioned in my last cancer post how long it is taking for recovery. My family felt like it was taking too long, and I was despairing of every feeling normal again. Even the doctors said it was taking me longer than they expected. However, it is supposed to take a long time. There are things that we didn't consider, that the effects of chemo and radiation can take a year before they are better. The main things I am dealing with now, is lack of saliva and taste, and fatigue. The lack of taste makes it hard for me to want to eat. The fatigue is the result of radiation to the frontal lobe of my brain and could last up to a year. The taste issue will get better in time and we just have to wait and see about the saliva.

However, this week I have been feeling really good. I've been putting some extra effort into getting things done. I've been splitting a couple of hours between house work and office work int eh morning. AFter which I am really pretty tired so I can sit down and rest before lunch getting that out of the way and resting again before making supper. I'm pretty tired by the time to go to bed, and I'm really not doing a whole lot, but I have to make a start. 

This feeling like a disjointed post, but sometimes life is like that.

February 7, 2023 - The port site was completely under the skin on my upper left chest. To use it, a good sized hooked needle was poked through the skin into whatever was under there to access the catheter tube. I was given some pain killer lotion to rub on, but by the time all the nonsense of opening the tube was finished, it was worn off and the nurses never seemed to care. Probably, I should have said something. I was truly tired of being poked.

About the feeding tube, they told me if it every comes out it would need to be replaced in that eight hour window, or it would close up.

4 comments:

The Chairman's Wife said...

Good news from you! Happy continued recovery!

February 7, 2013 at 9:20 PM

Bonita Sure said...

Wow! Sounds just like my sister-in-law again! So glad you could ditch the extra appendages. And the best part is that you don't NEED them either. 

February 8. 2013 at 10:04 AM

The J's said...

I am so happy to read this! I love having you able to feel like connecting again on blog and FB. It's really been quite the year but I think it sounds like you're doing great. Hopefully a longer/slower recovery time will mean helping you not to over-do it. 

Thankfulness is a wonderful thing.

February 8, 2013 at 4:57 PM

Anita said...

Glad you got the tube and port out. I have an abdominal surgical drain pulled like you described...while I tried not to watch. Thankfully, it was very fast, but it was an odd sensation. It was amazing how fast the hole healed. Our bodies are pretty amazing!

February 12, 2013 at 8:46 AM

Getting Back to Normal

 Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I know it has been a ridiculously long time since I posted. I started blogging about m cancer journey as therapy and later as a possible help to someone else. That part has been niggling at my conscience lately. However, part of cancer recovery is waht happens when trying ot fit back into normal life. It's a strange thing, after focusing entirely on oneself for so long, it is time to think about other people and other things. It is a disconcerting feeling tryinto to find what your place will be in the new life ahead. I can't really remember anymore exactly all I felt, and it is very hard to describe, but I got depressed, frightened of the dark, and discouraged by how long it was taking to get better. 

I didn't want to write these things, so I didn't post. 

However, life goes on, and the depression is past, I can sleep in the dark again, and I only sometimes get discouraged on how long this is going to take to get better.

So, where I left off at the end of October, I spent November working on swallowing water. My mucus was mostly gone and my mouth was dry so I used a little spray bottle to keep my mouth moist and comfortable. Salivary glands are affected by chemotherapy and radiation, and take a while to recover. They keep your mouth wet without you thinking about it. However, we will have to wait several months to know whether mine have been totally destroyed. The amount of radiation they subjected my jaws and throat to, was right at the maximum to permanent destruction. So, I am hoping that there will be some salvaged from the wreck. 

I gave up working on swallowing sometime in there because it was just hurting me too badly. I wasn't feeling that my therapist was helping at all and I just gave up. Like I said before, I was rushing things a bit. Then finally in December, a wonderful thing happened. My throat stopped hurting. I could think about something else besides my throat. I didn't have to try to stop myself swallowing. I began to feel human again, instead of just a sore throat. That month's trip to see the Omaha doctor was a ground breaking one. I was smiling and my mucus had diminished to the point I could like comfortably for the MRI.

Another great thing was getting connected to the swallow therapist there at Methodist who works specifically with head and neck cancer patients. She was hired to work out a plan to help people with swallowing problems after radiation. She was cheerful, encouraging and helpful. She made me believe I would be swallowing and even eating again. 

I started with drinking  mL of ice water, five times in a row, five times a day for two weeks. Then we had another appointment with another modified barium swallow study with proved I should be able to swallow anything to the thickness of pudding. So, I began to eat. Yogurt, applesauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, pureed sweet potatoes and carrots. I was still tube feeding a couple of ensures a day, and looking to get my tube out in February.

The January doctor appointment, which included a visit with the swallow therapist, and a PET/CT scan, involved a clean out of my sinus cavity, (which is an every appt. thing, likely for the rest of my life), and ecstatic session with the therapist who wants me to chew soft foods and gave me permission to schedule the tube removal. 

I had the PET scan that afternoon, and it is the one where you can't eat sugar or carbs for 24 hours before the scan and nothing except water for 6 hours before. a radioactive sugar is injected into a vein and I have to wait quietly for an hour the the stuff to distribute itself over the body. You can't play with a phone or read or do anything with repetitive motions because the sugar will collect there and could mask a problem because the sugar also goes to where the cancer cells are. Then the scan is done. It is similar to an MRI, but there isn't anything directly over your face. It's more open and not to claustrophobic feeling. And thankfully, shorter. 

So, that brings us up to today. My tube is really bother me, my ears (which have been stuffed due to fluid behind my ear drums so I can hard hear) are worse this week, but I have appointments make to fix them. February 7th, I have my tube and port out. The 8th I consult with the ENT to have tubes put in my ears, the 12th I go to see the therapist again, and the 13th I have an eye appointment. And, finally, on the 18th, I see my chemo Dr. again. I have clothes in the dryer, made lunch and kelp the fire going. I have also spent the greater part of the day sitting on the couch. There are parent teacher conferences tonight. So, my life it a mix of busyness and sitting around.

Thanks for sticking by me. 

9 comments:

Brenda said...

You have been in my thoughts SO much!!!! I need to just WRITE a letter! Glad you are doing better, I was afraid it was a tough time for you since there weren't any posts. Shame on me for not writing! Truly sorry, and so happy for you that things are looking up.

January 29, 2013 at 4:14 PM

The Chairman's Wife said...

So great to hear from you again! We hear via your relative, but nicer from you directly! Which you knew how many times you come to mind. You sound like you are making progress. Keep moving forward!! We are rooting for you!

January 29, 2013 at 4:48 PM

farmermarvswife said...

So glad to see a post again...have been wondering how youj are doing...and sending little messages of encouragement...glad it sounds like progress is being made...keep encouraged! A friend, Minnie

January 29, 2013 at 10:38 PM

The J's said...

So glad to hear from you again! Glad there has been some face-to-face visits in-between :)

January 30, 2013 at 11:59 PM

Heidi said...

Good to catch up with you again!

Thinking of you...

January 31, 2013 at 9:56 AM

Darcie said...

So glad for the update. I sometimes retreat when things are hard, too. I think we all have to work our our struggles, emotions and such, the way that works best for us. I hope you continue to see signs of improvement, and remind yourself everyone's recovery is not the same...sometimes it just takes time to heal. Hope you are having sunny days in your corner of the world, to help chase those blue days away. (((hugs)))

January 31, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Renee said...

Ohhh! Enjoyed a post from you again!!

January 31, 2013 at 9:32 PM

Mrs. MacOlsson said..

Lovely to hear from you, and wonderful news on all the progress. Greetings from Sweden.

February 1, 2013 at 2:28 PM

Anita said...

'Recovery process' doesn't even begin to cover it, does it? All the things I simply wouldn't have thought of and can't imagine. Big fat hugs!!!

February 12, 2013 at 8:40 AM