This visit is over....

Sorry that I didn't write yesterday...I was a little down in the dumps as they had told me that I might have to have surgery to clean out the hematoma and stop the bleeding that they thought was still happening. My hemoglobin had dropped so they gave me a couple of units of blood and wanted to wait one more night to see what happened. It looks better but is still very uncomfortable and somewhat painful.

Today they gave me my walking papers..so, I am in the process of getting out of here!

Oh, and we were 2 miles from the earthquake center last night of a 4.5 in San Bernardino.... That was fun!

I have been working a bit from here and am ready to get back to life.... On the 16th it will be 2 months! Oh, and between the heaviest I weighed in here with all the fluid and now I have lost 70# !!! Yes, that is right SEVENTY POUNDS IN 4 WEEKS..... It is quite an amazing diet plan..

And I should be able to drive soon!

Thanks for all your support and notes while I was in here.....They really made me smile and kept me going! We are going to have an 80* weekend here in So Cal so I am off to enjoy it....and the haagendaz bar my nurse, Carl, brought me last night!

And the Parade Goes By.............

I don't know how many of you grew up watching the Rose Parade on New Years Day but I did every year......and in LA we get to watch it all day long on a loop !!! So Cal people are CRAZY about the Rose Parade in Pasadena ! They work on the floats all year and start decorating them the day after Christmas....Today!

I have always wanted to see the parade live but secretly love watching it on TV with a fire going and in my Jammies. We have gone down several years to see the floats on display the couple of days following the parade and I hope I can talk Joe into taking me this year.

One other thing that I have wanted to do is to help decorate the floats. It takes thousands of volunteers a week of 24/7 shifts in very cold hangars (think, KEEP THE FLOWERS COLD!) snipping, seeding, flowering each flower on all the floats.

When I found our local OPO (organ procurement agency) One Legacy, teams with Donate Life and does a float every year.....well, sounded like something I should do!

Last year I was just about on the list....but had a cold and wasn't feeling well, so 8 hours in a cold hangar didn't sound to smart and well, pretty much out of the question this year.....So, tune in NEXT year.....I will be there for certain!

In the mean time....check out the website, buy a rose for the float or some merchandise, donate some $$$$ and don't forget to register for organ donation if that is your wish while you are there!

http://www.donatelifefloat.org/
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/roseparade/

PS....The actual photo of a float is the one from 2004 one of my favorites and then there is the artist rendering of this years float. You will have to watch or come to Pasadena to see it....

The annual 24 hour Christmas Marathon

Come on, you know you will flip by it at least once....Did you know it was a National Lampoon Movie? Anyone like Christmas Vacation??????

20 Holiday Trivia Questions About “A Christmas Story”

By scottie325

To entertain my family when they come over to visit on Christmas day, I decided to put together a holiday trivia game for them. I’ve mentioned several holiday trivia sites I was checking out before in earlier posts, but I finally settled on doing a quiz on “A Christmas Story” due to the epic 24-hour marathon. Here are a selection of questions I put together for the game. Feel free to share them with your friends (and then brag that you researched these all by yourself!).

1. What is the complete, official name of the gift Ralphie wants for Christmas in “A Christmas Story”?
A Red Ryder carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle

2. In what year did the movie “A Christmas Story” take place?
1940

3. What city was used for most of the filming of “A Christmas Story”?
Cleveland, OH

4. True or False: The Red Ryder BB gun that was used in “A Christmas Story” had to be specially created because no such toy ever existed.
True

5. What year was “A Christmas Story” released in theaters?
1983

6. Which character doesn’t actually appear in the book that “A Christmas Story” is based on, “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”: Flick, Scut Farkas, or Ralphie’s brother Randy?
Scut Farkas

7. Yano Anaya, who played Scut Farkas’ evil toadie Grover Dill, is also known for his movie role of playing a sinister paperboy who yells “I want my two dollars!” in what 80s teen movie?
“Better Off Dead”

8. True or False: The original book that “A Christmas Story” is based on was a collection of short semi-autobiographical stories that were written for Reader’s Digest.
False–They were a set of short semi-autobiographical stories that were written for, of all places, “Playboy” magazine.

9. What Academy Award-winning actor was originally considered for the role of Ralphie’s “old man” before concerns about his high salary led to the studio casting Darren McGavin for the role?
Jack Nicholson

10. What does Santa Claus suggest as a gift when Ralphie gets tongue-tied trying to tell him he wants a Red Ryder BB gun?
A football

11. During the movie, Ralphie imagined himself as a cowboy taking on a set of robbers with his Red Ryder BB Gun. What was the name of the leader of the robbers?
Black Bart

12. What contest did the old man win in order to get the leg lamp as a prize?
A crossword puzzle contest in the newspaper

13. When it came to tasting soap, which brand was Ralphie’s personal preference?
Lux

14. When Ralphie tried to recover after his mom initially dismissed his request for a Red Ryder BB gun, what toy did he suggest?
Tinker Toys

15. What gift was dropped into the Old Man’s lap on Christmas Day?
A bowling ball

16. What relative gave Ralphie the pink bunny pajamas?
His aunt

17. According to Ralphie, how many years has it been since his mom had a hot meal: 10, 12 or 15?
15 years

18. What was the last name of Ralphie’s family?
The Parkers

19. What was the name of the Chinese restaurant the Parkers ate at after their dinner was ruined?
Chop Suey Palace

20. Within 100 dogs, how many dogs did Ralphie estimate his neighbor had?
785 (”Our neighbors the Bumpuses had at least 785 smelly hound dogs that ignored every other human being on this earth except my old man.”)

BONUS QUESTION: The house that was used for “A Christmas Story” still exists today in Cleveland. What is the web site address for the house’s official site?
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com

Have fun !!!!

Kindle reading

By the way, I did get my Kindle and am really liking and enjoying it. I used it outside by the pool in San Diego and there was no problem with the lighting and the fact that I could adjust the text/font size I didn't need my reading glasses which is a great boon when outside. Those that have seen me try and use my reading glasses and sun glasses at the same time will agree! It's always a toss up. Shade my eyes from the sun and look *cool* or squint and wear my reading glasses outside...

I could just get reading sun glasses but I juggle 2 pairs right now!

I found the article below on my Time subscription on Kindle...and I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise.

The Kindle is fulfilling it's promise of helping me read more and things I wouldn't ordinarily pick up.

Thanks Amazon!

It's Oprah's Fault !!!!

Ok, well really it is my technological addiction...... But she aided by making it one of her FAVORITE THINGS and giving everyone $50 off until the end of October..... (hurry, hurry if you want one!)

I have had my eyes on this since I first saw it but didn't want to part with the $$ but as my books started to pile up and I have been waiting in many Dr's offices with no end in sight...actually increasing in sight.... I decided to take the plunge....

and WHAT IS IT ???????? Why a KINDLE of course....................

It should be here next week and I have my wish list all ready of some books to kick me off with... You can check my *good reads* section for some that will be loaded soon.... I may even put up an amazon wish list........so you can see what I want to read ......

Here is the KINDLE link for those of you who want more info or want to click the BUY button... (enter OPRAHWINFREY for your $50 off)

Plus it will pack easier than all those magazines and books I lug around with me when I travel ....

I apologize

I know I haven't posted in awhile...I think everyday ......... I should post on the blog..... I pull it up, check to see how, Aimee, David, Annika, Bobby, Kim, Corina, all my fellow blogger friends and support group friends are doing...... Stare at the page....and shut it down without writing a word.



There is a lot going on.....I guess I am feeling a bit blue and depressed.... The economy is scaring the shit out of me lately....amongst other things...



I am not going to write any more right now but will soon...............................................

Our Day with Joey in Newport

For those more interested in what we do when I try and forget I am sick....Which is often.....

I am sure a lot of you who have ever had serious illness's can relate to.... How do you balance your *real* life and enjoy as much of it as possible? How do you go about the day to day business of life, family, friends, jobs, etc?

I find it actually kind of funny. When I first found out how sick I was and my Dr's so *nicely* informed me that I might not make it out of the hospital alive and wasn't sure I would make it a few months....until now... Well, it kind of changes your perspective. Especially when you are supposed to be in the middle of your life and not near what you thought would be the end of it.

I decided to go on the 2 cruises I had booked at the end of the month I got out of the hospital....I took it slow but Joe and I decided it was time we spent some quiet time together, just the two of us, along with the rest of my company whose conference it was. So what if we got some Caribbean Sun and fresh air along the way!!!! Look here for a post on that. And here for a couple of pictures. If you click on the photos, you can see how yellow *jaundiced* I was.

Anyway, it is a year later and here are some photo's of our family at a doggy friendly shopping center where we took our bulldog and then at the Golden Truffle. We went to his apartment, viewed the lone jar of mayo in the fridge and one can of cream of mushroom soup in the cupboard (????) and went to Trader Joe's for some shopping, then went out to one of our favorite restaurants *The Golden Truffle*.

I worked for the Golden Truffle and Alan Greeley, Chef-Owner way back in the day when I was fresh out of Culinary School. (Didn't know THAT did you? lol) Before Joey was born. I will save my chef tales for another day.... But here is the story of The Golden Truffle and a couple of pics of dinner.

We had a beautiful 5 course meal that was specially prepared for us and were greeting and treated as VIP's as Alan had left instructions with his staff before he left that evening for a catering event. The tall thing is their *soup and sandwich* appetizer of a lovely vichyssoise with a zesty seafood, crunchy bite on top... I didn't take photos of the beautiful lobster appetizer, grilled scallop (which was HUGE) or the lovely little desert tray.... I should have...when will I learn?

Chef Owned, The Golden Truffle began as a caterer. The restaurant seems in appearance and atmosphere to be Bistro-esque, but those who have experienced the food realize that the Chef has taken a road-less traveled.

The Chef’s myriad influences, with France, Spain, the Caribbean and Asia leading the way, conspire to produce dishes that manage to combine simplicity and comfort with dazzling, complex flavors and colorful presentation.

The Golden Truffle achieves that perennial ambition of most restaurants and satisfies customers of all tastes, serving up adventures cuisine alongside nostalgic homage’s to home cooking.

The Golden Truffle is a favorite of restaurateurs, wine-makers and chefs. The abundant and interesting wine list offers many intriguing and unusual fairly priced wines.

The kitchen’s attention to texture allows each bite its own magical quality. The racy chef-proprietor has a bold approach to food so remarkable that all our senses simply merge with the spirit of the moment; a kind of stream of consciousness cooking that is like opening a storybook with the imagination of a child.

Here is a link to their menu and web-site. The Golden Truffle We had a very nice day together. It is so good to have our son so happy and moving on into adulthood. I hope I am around to see what his future holds.

All in all, a great day. Today is Tuesday and I am headed down to my LLU support group which I missed last week due to our appt's at Scripps so I am anxious to hear all the latest from my friends there. I have to get ready so I will leave you now. Tomorrow I am headed back to San Diego and Scripps for a mandatory transplant class which I am also looking forward to.

As we begin Year #2 in this Journey..........our new beginning at Scripps

I want to write a bit and tell you about our visit to Scripps Green Transplant Center and my feelings about going there.

First of all I want you to know that I was hesitant for a long time to pursue health care outside of Loma Linda with whom I have entrusted all my beliefs, hope, support and extraordinary medical care to.

On some level I felt a sort of waywardness about this. Like I was being unfaithful or something. Like a child venturing into an unknown world. I didn't want the people I trust to feel betrayed. This includes my Doctors, my transplant team, my wonderful friends in my support group and even you, my readers. Odd isn't it? I have spent the last year of my life following their lead and I have learned so very much.

Most of you know that I am also very pro-active in most everything and especially my own health right now. I want to know what ALL my options are. Get different opinions from EXPERIENCED, KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE. Leaders in their field. I need to get a feeling that the general consensus among the experts is that I am doing the best thing for the condition that *I* am in. My body and my situation may be similar to lots of others that are suffering from End Stage Liver Disease but it is uniquely different that anyone elses also.

I have continually had/have an internal battle with Do I keep my God given liver as long as possible and be thankful for the health I do have and wait patiently OR do I do as my mother taught me and that is pursue the thought that *God helps those who help themselves?* and explore ALL my options.

As you can tell I finally chose the later. (Always listen to your mother!) And after discussions with my LLU Dr's, my transplant team, friends, family and extended family the consensus is that we/I should do whatever is necessary to do the best thing to keep me alive! That means getting a new liver, a GOOD liver at a great transplant center with a high level of long term success. And following my instincts.

Joe took the day off from his patients and came with me to meet Dr Hillebrand and some of his staff.

We were more than impressed with our visit. His staff is friendly, helpful, knowledable and respectful. So was he. We really liked Dr H. We spent about an hour together. He went over my medical history with me carefully and we spoke about all the steps that would be needed to be dual listed, how the transplant centers coordinated efforts to reduce duplication of tests and visits along with what would happen when the time for transplant came and follow up.

The next step after meeting him is to meet with the rest of the Transplant Team. The Surgeons, the social worker, and the coordinators which I can do with one more visit which we arranged to do on 9/15. After that my case will go before *the commitee* just like before to decide if I should be placed on thier list. There are more details on all of this early in my blog.

So, we are off to the races!

After my meeting on the 15th I will continue my regular care, Dr appointments, Labs and other testing at Loma Linda and we go back to waiting for the call.

Right now, I was informed that I may be the *highest B blood type* they have on the list. If not I am close. So, in reality by dual listing I will most likely have my transplant in San Diego as that is the way the #'s are in my favor.

One thing that I want to share with those of you who are suffering from any kind of disease or are the caretaker of someone who is....

#1. Find a really good or great Doctor that has experience, is well respected in his/her field, that will answer your questions and lay out all your options for you. YOU CAN FIND ONE.... They are out there.

I did spend 2-3 years running around in circles trying to get help from Dr's who didn't know what to do with me except pass me around. 2 weeks before I ended up in the hospital with a MELD of 37 and my Doctors saying I might not make it, I was in my *regular* Dr's office BEGGING for him to send me SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE that I could get help! I looked like death warmed over, bright yellow, my body totally swollen all over, legs as big as tree trunks, feverish, I had been vomiting, was terribly constipated, lost 30# because I couldn't eat, crying for help, all kinds of nasty things, and he told me once again to get blood drawn, and come back in 3 weeks... I was almost dead in 3 weeks. I might not be waiting for a liver transplant if I had found a good Doctor earlier. (the only reason I ended up in Loma Linda was I told Joe I needed to go to the emergency room and to take me directly to LLU....)

SO FIND A GOOD DOCTOR....then listen to and trust them.

#2 Educate yourself. Learn. Find GOOD information about what your body is doing and what you can do to help yourself. Your Doctor can be good but they are also VERY BUSY. There is no way you will get all your information just from your Dr.

It is your responsibility to learn about your disease, your symptoms, what is *normal*, what to watch out for, and what the future holds. You can learn a lot from people who have the same thing. You can find them online and in support groups. I have learned invaluable information and gained alot of hope from my support groups.

#3 Write things down. Keep a health journal. If you can't, have a loved one keep track of things. Your weight, your drugs, your diet, blood pressure, appointments, attitude. Anything that is relative. Show it to your Dr. Write down your questions. Go to your Dr appt's prepared.

#4 Let your Dr's and medical staff know when something isn't right. Now that doesn't mean they need to know you stubbed your toe but if something is really a problem, DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT to let them know. Make a phone call and tell them. Let them decide if it is important.

#5. Be proactive. It's your life. You have people who love you and care about you. You need to care about you. Share with them, spend time with them and yourself. Enjoy life, especially the little things. You may not be able to do all the things you once did so enjoy OTHER things...
go outside, people watch, pet your dog or kitty, hug your kids, take up a new hobby, be nice to the people around you....

Those are my thoughts tonight as we start year 2 in this adventure...Gosh, I am ready to go through the next step of this but I am faithful that I am doing what I can and I do have patience even though it may not sound like it.

Good Night !!!! God Bless.......

Daffodil Days, again.......

I posted this before in April. I ran across it again and I thought I would pass it along to you who might not have seen it. This can apply to ANYTHING we want to do.

Enjoy--


The Daffodil Principle


Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren."Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother.""Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her."But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this.""Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around.""It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road. and I saw a small building. On the far side of the building, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ."

We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers."Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered."She lives on the property. That's her home."

Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things.

We can change the world .

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle.

Stop waiting....
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you get a new liver (I had to add that)
Until you die...
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching.
Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin!!!!!

Meet Mark

This is MARK!

Well, the little pictures are of the baby tree. The other pictures with flowers are what *Mark* will grow into!


Mark is a Cercidium hybrid ‘Desert Museum’ This semi-evergreen, Thornless, Palo Verde hybrid exhibits qualities found in
Foothill, Blue and Mexican Palo Verde, provides ample shade, distinctive rich green trunks and branches that, similar
to the Palo Brea, remain smooth as they mature, and abundant brilliant yellow flowers that appear in spring and intermittently
during the summer months.

And this is how he got his name:

In the late 1970's Mark Dimmitt with the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM) began noticing Blue Palo Verdes that exhibited characteristics suggesting they were hybrids of other Palo Verde species. He collected and planted seeds from the assorted trees he had observed and began evaluating them. By 1981 he had identified a thornless seedling as clearly superior to the others collected. Careful evaluation of the genetic composition of this hybrid, named 'Desert
Museum', revealed it to be a complex hybrid having genetic characteristics from Mexican, Blue and Foothill Palo Verde.

This information came from Arid Zone Trees

I have never planted a tree before and Joe has only planted one a long time ago and a very different kind of tree.

Well, if you know me and know how I can research ANYTHING to death....Well, I can. It took a month or more for us to figure out what to plant. We wanted something light and airy, preferably flowering but not to messy. Not over 15-20ft high. Interesting branch structure and native to the desert. We had considered other Palo Verde Trees and although we both liked them they are normally VERY THORNY !!!! Bed idea if you ever want to touch or prune it.

We were wandering through the nursery the other day and Joe says....*How about this?* and poof Mark has a new home...

We will plant him as soon as the finishing touches of the fountain are done!

I am soooooo easily entertained these days! ;-)

Enjoying our Summer and our projects

Well, hello again..... Here it is the end of August and I thought I would catch you up with how we have been filling the past few weeks outside of our day to day stuff we all do.

We certainly have been enjoying the pool this year, especially with Joe's new schedule. His working so close to home has been wonderful for us both. He can spend more time in the morning before work, come home for lunch and a jump in the pool, back to the office for afternoon appointments and home for the evening..

We had a couple of medical appt's and all went well including Joe's rotorooter exam. HEY, it's only fair he gets poked and prodded too! Ewwwwwwww, I know, I know. I couldn't help it.

My mom, Mary, came to visit for a week. It was great having her here for several days and she enjoyed the new guest room. I have a few more decorating things left to do but will post photo's for you soon.

While she was here we went to a wonderful restaurant we have found a couple of miles from the hospital in Redlands. Called Farm Artisan Foods . It's a great little place in an old downtown environment. It is a chef owned restaurant with innovative/california/gourmet cuisine. Most of their foods come from local organic farms and dairy's. They even buy their meat from a local butcher that purchases 4-H animals that have been certified as organically raised. We can't remember we when we had a better pork loin than here.

They offer a prix fix *lunch* that is served from 11:30-4:30 that consists of a choice of appetizer, entree and desert for $19.50. It is a real deal. The same meal at dinner could easily be $45.00.

Even their coffee is roasted locally just for them. Served in individual french presses with your desert of caramel creme and handmade chocolate truffles.... hmmmmmmmmmmm... If you are local. Go there!

We have also been working on the garden and fountain projects. Some of our garden is doing well some not so good. The aphids really got a hold of my squash....and there were lots of ants...Did you know that the ants and aphids have a relationship going on? Apparently the ants like the sticky substance left by the aphids so they will carry the eggs to the leaves of the plants so they can multiply and make the stuff for them much to the demise of my plant and ME! Joe also adds that the ants will actually HERD them and MILK them.... who knew... (Joe!)

The fountain is coming along. The mosaic is taking a while mostly because I don't get started to early as most of you know and it is so hot lately then I am tired in the evening when it cools down.....trying to get in an hour or two when it isn't blazing out here is tough. We are making progress though. I am ALMOST finished with the tile. Next step is plumbing the fountain, grout, sealant, then WATER! I can't wait to see it finished.

I also really need to decide on a tree for the area. We want to plant it this fall so I better get going on that...

Joey is doing well in his job and apartment. He likes both and is happy to be living close to the beach. He and his friends have been spending as much time as they can there. Bonfires and everything... I plan on having a Mom and Son beach day with him next week. He is getting ready for school to start on soon. I am so very proud of him. He is really growing up and getting down to business while having some fun in the process.

Cruz Biz

Another thing keeping me busy is my Cruise Business. I am happy to say that since I decided to up my marketing campaign and take on new business and it is working!

For quite awhile both before and after my hospital stay and diagnosis I had really slowed way down on promoting my business and therefore my bookings were way down which is what I needed and wanted. I was only booking for friends, family and past clients as I didn't need to keep up on to much.

A couple of months ago I talked with Joe about it and decided that it was a good time to start building clientele again and I have been working quite a bit and booking a fair amount of business!

Soooooooooooo, send your vacationing friends my way please! I will take very good care of them.

Dinner with Dr Cliff and Karen

Thursday night we also had Cliff and Karen, Joe's new employers, over for dinner. It was very nice having them over to the house and it had been awhile since we had had people over for dinner other than quick bites here and there.

They hadn't been to the house before and we all wanted to get together for a last minute pow wow before Joe gets started over there on Monday!

They are such nice people and we get along very well with them. We are all looking forward to a long and productive relationship together.

They ran a big ad in the local paper today, Sunday, welcoming Joe back to the High Desert and to the practice. We are very excited about the move and I will write more about the practice later. It will be a big change for us having Joe so close to home and we are looking forward to that as well. Joe will look forward to seeing you local friends and your pets here in town!

Then there was cleaning day...........

Yes, Wednesday was cleaning day and NO, I didn't do it all by myself. I had a little help from Sandra and Connie my occasional cleaning girls.

They do a great job and inspire me to do a bit more myself.

So, the house is way less hairy....(thank you animals.....yes, Frank, I am talking to you)

Smells much better.......soooooo clean.

Has less clutter and even shines and sparkles a bit!

Now, if I can just get to my closet!

Eating Healthier.......................

I was going to make eggs benedict for us this morning. I do make a
mean hollandaise! My restaurant days did teach me a thing or too......But
instead we skipped the sauce and had whole wheat english muffins, poached eggs
and fresh fruit.

But that isn't what I wanted to talk about. Joe and I have always
walked this line between eating decadant lovely food spurred on by my
professional chef days and love of cooking and our love of travel and fine
restaurants, cruise ships, etc. AND the flip side of eating extremely
healthy and well balanced foods which hit it's peak during my extreme fitness
and body building days...

FRESH FOODS have always been at the heart of both and our taste buds still
do dictate a lot of what we actually eat... Now of course we both have
some specific health issues that we need to pay attention to and in striving to
keep us both in the best health we can we have specific things to
watch....

I am on a low sodium diet re: my Dr's...and I decided that it wasn't a very
good idea to put any chemicals in there to process since my organs are all
trying to compensate for all the jobs my liver is supposed to do...The biggie
which of course is ridding your body of nasty stuff. So organic produce at
home for me.

Joe is on a diabetic diet....which is good for me also... anyway, we
juggle a lot of different nutritional stuff.

I have managed to eliminate the grocery store from my shopping
regimen. We do have a SUPER Target up here now with full, very nice
grocery's at great prices so I do go there. We go to the farmers market
for whole grain breads I can pre-order and they have it waiting for me.
They have an amazing whole grain, seeded sourdough bread............(and I can
pick up some fresh flowers for the week) Trader Joe's of course.
There isn't one here but there is one by the hospital. So I can go there
once a week. And we joined a local organic produce co-op that is
absolutely fabulous. We get a basket every 2 weeks of produce in season
and all organic. Extremely delicious stuff!

So, except for the occasional pizza..... (did I say that?) We do
pretty good.

I don't know why I felt like sharing that but I did......
:-)

what happened last week.......

I think I left you while getting ready for the LLU liver transplant support group picnic on a HOT, HOT weekend. It was down at a lovely park with a pond, nice big trees for shade and a big hill for exercise...... A good time was had by all. There was lots of good food and we had an opportunity to meet family members that we don't always get to meet during the week which was very nice. Joe and I had a very nice time!

The beginning of my week started out with lots of energy. I was feeling really good and enjoying the weather which was warm but I must have overdone it a bit. I spent all day on Tuesday down doing my LLU stuff, then ran errands and then came home and our dear friend, Helen, who is making a big move to Oregon came to visit before she left and spent the night. It was really great to see her and catch up but after visiting until the afternoon of the next day I was wiped out.

I spent all day Thursday sleeping.... I slept until 2pm, had an appt that I pretty much slept through and came home and played on my computer on the couch the rest of the day.....

Joe had Friday off.....in fact he has a 4 day weekend this week before he gets ready to make his big move to the hospital over here June 2nd!.

We spent Friday together. Went out to breakfast. Did a little shopping to go get him a new phone.... I have been waiting for this new Blackberry to come out. I have used many *smart phones* which sync with my computer and do all kinds of neat things...but resisted the *blackberry* for a long time. There were things about it I didn't like.

They FINALLY were coming out with a BlackBerry that was perfect for my needs....THE CURVE...and I have been waiting for it for MONTHS!!!! It came out last week....

Where I have been.....

Medical stuff. I had to go back to my calendar to see what happened in April. We will start there.

My infamous lump in my armpit totally went away and hasn't resurfaced... And after having another routine CT Scan to check my liver for cancer (which it is very prone to while it is sick) came back all clear. I talked to my Dr. Told him I was feeling good and asked if I was fairly *stable* and got permission to make some short local trips....which means I can get back to the Transplant Center within a few hours if I get the call. SO, well, that sent me to my calendar and my mind started spinning as to what I could do and where I could go.......

Also, at exactly the same time some very tragic things started happening to people. The people around me that I care deeply about started loosing loved ones quickly and unexpectedly. It was terrible. So instead of running around *vacationing* I was running to my friends and families side. Unfortunatly for some strange reason this has been continuing. Not to people as close to me but everytime I turn around it seems someone is saying *have you heard?* And to people that are young and you wouldn't expect.

I have spent more time in hospitals other than mine than I care to.....In case you are wondering these aren't liver patients.

Joe and I did manage some time away for the 2 of us. I think I will start a new post for that...

Monday, Monday......

Had a great day today! I was up early to do some work and get ready to leave early for my trek to LLU to see Ben, the social worker. What wasn't to love. I had a lot of energy, felt good, weather was incredible.

My appt with Ben went well. He said that I don't need to see him again unless I need to talk to him about something.

He wants me to participate in the support groups more often. I have been wanting to do this. They are every week and very well attended by both pre and post Transplantee's. Very informative and supportive. I have planned on attending many but so far whenever I would have on one my agenda sandwiched between other Dr appt's on those days...Well, the Dr's appt's ending up taking more time or they need another test or something and the support group gets bumped.

Did a little window shopping at Victoria Gardens.

Came home and jumped on the computer to check on some client's upcoming cruises then made a yummy, quick dinner of Mahi-Mahi, broccoli, fresh pineapple and some left over potato's.

The mahi-mahi, you have GOT TO TRY... I got it at trader joes in the freezer section. 2 ample pieces were $5.00 and came marinated. I just defrosted them and put them in the oven for 10 minutes...DELISH!

Tomorrow I am back down the hill for the appt I have been waiting for since before Christmas. The Cardiologist. My hope is that he just says everything is a go and doesn't need anything else. We will see.

By the way.....Thank You to all of you who came looking for me when I disappeared a bit to long! I appreciate you all keeping an eye out for me!

I am off to bed.
Have a great day tomorrow and I will let you know what the good Dr says tomorrow night!

Welcome Back!

Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas, New Years and various other festivities! Our hope is that you were surrounded by people you love and that you had a wonderful time making good memories. (and that you didn't let the stress get the best of you!)

Thank you, Thank you for all the wonderful cards, photo's and letters! I don't think our mailbox was ever as full as it was this year! We enjoyed each and every one.

I left you on the 21st, right before Christmas and the day before the Fitzgerald Family arrived in their sleigh from the Bay Area. They brought the entire family, including Samantha, their trusty Rhodesion Ridgeback! We made room for everyone and fun was had by all, including the pups. They stayed with us 4 days and it was one of the best Christmas's ever! Everyone chipped in to see that I didn't get too tired. They made me promise to not go overboard and I was a good girl.

A couple of things that we did during thier visit was:

Kim and I finished some last minute shopping for stockings, food and goodies, etc. We had some nice big breakfasts and fussed with the house a bit. (and of course caught up on our girl talk!)

All the boys took a trip down to the big new BASS PRO SHOP down the hill to do guy stuff. It is an amazing store,,,,more of an event or must see, kind of place. Which inspired Johnathon and Joey to go out to an undisclosed location to shoot a few guns, including a newly accuired antique rifle from WW1 that belonged to a grandfather of John's. The young ones stuck to pellet guns out back. That and the ever popular WII................. LOL

Tom brought a cooler full of wonderful fresh, dungenous crab from the north coast down for our Christmas Eve Dinner! Yummmmmmmmmmmmy. It was lovely.

All of us went with our neighbors, the Gilliams, up to Lake Arrowhead for a Christmas brunch after Santa visited us all. We were hoping for a bit more snow. It was plenty cold but not much white stuff. The Gilliams had their entire family together as well, which is nice because daughter, Ellie, has been living in her native England this year.

It was wonderful having a house full of Christmas Spirit!

Christmas is right around the corner

Unfortunately, I did not escape this cold thing. It has kind of wiped me out, energy wise etc but otherwise all is good here. I made a killer soup over the weekend. We had fires and stayed warm.

I did go down and have my last pre-committee appt with the Pulmunologist and got official clearance from him for surgery. He said that both my heart and lungs had shown great improvement. My pulmonary pressures had to be under 50 for surgery and they were 35. My leaky mitral heart valve was hardly evident any more. All my vessels and arteries are totally clear. My heart is functioning very well.

They told me that things were bad when they were running tests while I was hospitalized a few months ago because of the acute and serious nature of what my liver was doing to my body. Basically, over working the other organs, the pressures were up and they weren't happy.

I am so thankful for my dedication to fitness off and on throughout the years and particularly the recent ones.... I was thinking the other day that it was only about 3-4 years ago that I was in great shape and thinking of competing in Body Building shows and developing tossing around some business ideas in that direction. My Dr's have NOT been happy that I used Phen-fen for a short while or the Ephedra that I took for quite awhile with the supplements for leaning out during weight loss.

Soooooooooo, off to committee we go! I spoke with Judith, my TP coordinator today to see if they were going to meet tomorrow and her answer was *I hope so*. She said they have it planned for every Thursday but she doesn't know if they meet or not until she shows up on Friday.


Christmas:

Joey will be home tomorrow for the rest of the holiday. Our friends, Tom, Kim and their sons, John and Logan will be here Sat night. So, I have a lot to do in the next couple of days. I told everyone we were doing a very low key Christmas but we still need a house ready for company, meals planned, food in the house and the house ready for Santa to arrive.

We will be spending Christmas Day up in Lake Arrowhead with the Fitzgerald's and the Gilliam's. There will be a dozen of us dining together. Hopefully a little snow and a wonderful afternoon of food and friendship without the dishes up at LA Resort, a newly remodeled hotel up in the local mountains. Here is a link for you locals. Looks like they have done a beautiful job remodeling and if the Chef is as good as the menu's sound the food should be great. I will give you my review after we try it.
www.laresort.com It looks as though they have some good local specials for a weekend or mid week get away and a nice spa also.

(Odd things that didn't use to happen. My Dr asked me what I had planned for the holidays and I told him about Arrowhead thinking he would be happy I wasn't cooking and his response was. You might feel uncomfortable with elevations at the Lake and to pay attention to my body and come down from the mountain right away if I felt faint or had a tight chest, trouble breathing, etc.)

Anyway, on to the few days we all have left before the big day. Try and relax some, smell the Christmas Trees and have a cup of hot chocolate.

Good night, sleep tight...................................................................................