It's just me alone..so sad

So when I woke up from my nap at the chemo clinic I was all alone. Everyone had left already...I was so sad. I couldn't believe I was so knocked out and didn't hear anything or anybody move out of their chairs etc.

So all you get is a picture of my exposed feet. lol

Due to the holiday everyone and their dog was there at the clinic today. It was packed. Every seat taken and rooms being used around the clinic.

I'm all alone...

This photo is just to show you how empty the clinic was by the time I left. There are at least 20 chairs in this room.

He's the Man in Black...Savanna HS Concert Band

The students in the band at Savanna all have to purchase their own tuxedos. This will be nice for when he has to go to prom...all I have to buy is the tie and shirt and flowers. I'm not going to spend extra money for a tux!

They all looked sharp, I was really impressed.

He plays the 1st trumpet.

Steven wins 1st place YMCA Essay Contest

This is the second time he has won the essay contest for the YMCA on the four pillars of character, which are: Respect, Responsibility, Caring, and Honesty. He wrote about his mother and the trials she is going through and how he helps her to feel better by helping around the house, getting straight A's on his report card, learning cooking and cleaning skills and just helping to make her life easier. He's a good kid.

He won this award last year also. So out of 3 seasons of basketball with the YMCA he has won this award twice. Not too shabby!

Steven celebrates his 15th birthday 12/12/08

Cade bought this ice cream cake for a girl. But she turned out to be not so nice of a girl, so he saved the ice cream cake for Steven's 15th Birthday. That was nice of him. He also took Steven out for his birthday to Hooters. Ahhh...
what was that boy thinking! Had I known that I would have taken him to Chuck-E-Chesse instead!

Baba loves the cat...only for one day

We brought the cat home from the office for an afternoon visit and Baba got attached to this cat...funny how that is. It purrs and purrs...but we can't have the cat at home because of Kristina's allergies to cats. She would be a sick puffed up mess if we did. So we only got to play with Angel for an afternoon.

Stephanie & Angel

John bought a cat from the rescue shelter as a rat catcher for his office. He must be going through a mid life crisis because John hates cats but he loves this one... and of course he named it Angel...yes...it's an it because it was fixed .... wouldn't have it any other way...

Steven #23 Savanna HS

Steven has started his basketball season at Savanna HS. I wish I could go to his games. I can't go the week I have chemo because I'm not allowed to drive.

He has a game today...I hope they win...GO REBELS!!

Chemotherapy #5 December 8, 2008

Well...here I sit with my new blanket I got from the YW yesterday at church. They were so cute to present this to me. It was so nice to be on the receiving end of this project. I had done so many others when I was YW president. So now I know how it feels. And it feels really good to know people care about you! I will be bringing this blanket with me each time I go to have my chemo session.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

We went as a family to the Los Angeles Temple early Saturday morning. It was a nice to be with the family on the temple grounds again. Paul and Jennie got married here. It was the first time they had been back since they got married two and a half years ago. Steven and Stephanie stayed outside while we went inside.

So Big...

Baba was so happy to see James. She sees his picture on the computer screen everyday and asks about him. She remembers his name too. She knows he is named after Jiji, her husband.

Downtown Disney walk

I know this picture is so dark...but we went to Downtown Disney and saw all the lights. It was a nice time together. We haven't been there in a long time.

Proud Grandpa John

I meant to put this picture with the one below..with proud grandma grace.

John was so happy to play with James every day.

Happy Grandma Grace

Look at how happy I am...I don't know how happy James is...but my gosh his head is as big as my head...doesn't it look that way? Maybe the chemo has shrunken my head? lol

Grandma Grace gets to feed James

Look how excited I got in feeding the baby ...what is that I'm feeding him? Hmmmm must be yummy whatever it is.

Jennie gives James a bath in our kitchen sink...

This picture is two fold...one, Jennie wanted to give James a bath. Our bath tub is not a good one so we decided the kitchen sink was deep enough to give him a nice bath....

Number 2...see what Jennie is wearing...it's Paul's old practice jersey for Loara baseball...we gave that to her for her PJ this year...Paul got a #1Dad Angel T-shirt.

Look I'm a Japanese Warrior...Samurai in coming...

I don't think Stephanie new that James' head was postioned right at the base of my fan on my bedroom wall...but how cute is that....A peacock..if you will....

James Visit Gramma in bed on his last day in CA.

It was such a nice surpirse when Paul brought James to my bed their last day. It was fun having him crawl all around the bed. Fun times being a grandma.

Chemo Treatment #4 I finished my knitted sock!

Now isn't that cute....lol. The people I sit around have for 4 sessions now have wondered what the heck I was knitting. I kept telling them they were adult booties...but you couldn't tell they were until I finished it and made my pom poms on the top....anyway... I don't know if I'm going to be doing that any more....we'll see.

Okay...on to my adventures of more chemo. I guess I should count my blessings that I haven't thrown up yet or had any hair loss. I haven't dyed my hair yet...but that's up and coming soon...my roots are getting pretty white.
Also...I forgot to mention what happened to my mom when I got home. When John went home at lunch time to check on her, her evil eyes just followed him as she lay there on the couch looking at him like he was the devil himself. She ate all her food I left for her on the table. She had a half a sandwich, spam musubi, and a tangerine and banana. When Steven got home she tried to escape through the back door by the laundry room. He could hear something in the room so he turned on the light and there was my mother hiding behind the dryer with an empty pizza box over her head. lol Steven asked Baba what she was doing...knowing she was caught, she got up from her hiding place and returned to the couch. When I got home with my chemo pack...and as I passed by her couch to say Hi...she gave me a swift kick...I had to duck because I didn't want her to pull out my cord attached to the pack. I asked her why she was kicking me. She replied that she just wanted to make sure I saw her on the couch...Like I'm going to MISS her on the couch. She was glad I was home....and I am too...that clinic is a depressing place...although I did get a chuckle out of these two old ladies who are both hard of hearing and they are practically yelling to hear each other. One of the husbands there looks at me and just shakes his head because they are so funny when they talk to each other about their cats. One lady brought albums of pictures of these cats...she had 17 cats. That's crazy...

Chemotherapy session #3.....

Okay...here I sit at my 3rd session of chemo...I really had a good week last week from about Wednesday to Monday was really good. I actually felt like normal...no pain...no nausea..no sleep..lol

So I really wasn't looking too forward to this session because I knew that would all stop. It's funny some people at church wonder why I go to church when I have the perfect excuse not to go to church. You know what...some people actually like to go to church. I just happen to be one of those people. John told me I was a rare breed! Besides the primary kids were doing their program and I love the primary. This was the first year we didn't have a child in primary...does that show my age!!! A young woman I talk to all the time during my chemo session couldn't believe I had 3 married children and one grandchild. When she told me she had two teenagers in high school...I couldn't believe her age either. So we were even. Anyway...this session took too long due to blood testing prior to my chemo drip...but it's over...the funniest part was when I first left the clinic and I started to talk I felt like I was a teenager in puberty. My voice changed...it was going up and down and cracking and sounding like Steven when he was 12. Too funny. But you can see I am still knitting the same bootie...almost done. And I am watching my DVD player...let's see I watched "The Lake House". Unfortunately the DVD stopped playing at the climax when Sandra Bullock realized who Wylie was and blipppppp...it quit on me...ahhhh

Okay...done now I have the chemo pack on and all the side effects that go with it...but I have my sleeping pills...Yahoooo....I can sleep like a baby tonight...so good night people!

Witch Baba on Halloween Night

Here is my mom sucking on a candy she took from the candy bowl as she sat waiting for trick or treaters to come by for candy. She sat there for about 45 minutes and had enough. She said nobody was coming. I was too tired to help out so John had to take over. We had more than I expected. On Sunday, Baba was taking more candy out of Stephanie's bag...so Stephanie scolded her because she was eating way too much. And I mean too much. So Baba got mad and called her stupid for not sharing and slammed the door. Ahhhhh...she loves her snickers bar! Stephanie tried not to laugh at her because when you laugh at her she gets even madder. Poor thing. Good thing she has false teeth or they would rot...what am I talking about...no wonder she has NO teeth!!! lol

Beautiful Tulips from the Harris Family in Holladay UT

Mystery flowers appeared on my door step a couple of weeks ago from Pro Flowers. No card was on the box. They arrived on Wednesday October 15th. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet. So we waited. In the mean time...I looked up the flower shop on the internet and called the 800 number. They were so kind to read the message on the card that should have been sent with the flowers.

So thank you to Jan and Don Harris.

Chemotherapy Day #2

Well...here I am ...you can see the gadget in my porta cat...The nurse had to stick me twice because she started out wtih the short needle...I am now to remind her to use the longer neede. Stupid me...I knew that...I just thought she knew that...but she must have a hundred different patients each week and this was only my second treatment...so now I have been instructed to remind her.

You can see my mom next to me with John's headsets. She is watching "Memoirs of a Geisha". I don't know how much of it she watched. She was so interested in all the people in this room. I was just grateful she didn't wander off somewhere. She only had to use the restroom twice.

I feel a little light headed and I sneeze a lot. This happened last treatment as well.

On a good note...Steven cooked dinner tonight. He made the rice, baked Salmon, and cooked fresh spinach. I couldn't lift anything. My hands are very weak. And the touch of water makes my hands freeze. So this is a good thing...Steven can learn to cook dinner. Stephanie was at a birthday part this afternoon. That was his first choice, having Steph cook instead of him. But he was game...and willing...didn't give me a hard time.

Time to purchasse a hat ... just in case I lose my hair!

I got a straw hat and a black hat for church. I have been told however, I probably won't lose all my hair, that it will only thin out a little. I am praying that will be the case.

Nails were a must for K and Steph

Kristina and Stephanie got French tip nails besides their toes done. My mom and I didn't get our nails done, just our toes.

Preparing for Chemo...let's get our nails done.

On Saturday, October 11th, Kristina, Stephanie, my mom and I went to get our toes done. Guess whose toes are whose? Ok...look at them and now I'll tell you....Mine are the ones with the splotchy tan in the upper right hand corner. Stephanie's toes are on the left with the jeans, and K's is on the bottom. My mom only got a pedicure no nail polish or flowers.

Chemotherapy Day #1...not too bad

Here I am in my own little chair watching my own DVD player and knitting booties for the Humanitarian effort for church. The first two hours were not too bad. I could watch and knit at the same time. However, the third hour, I had so much liquid in me from the chemo and saline and nausea bags that I had to pee every ten minutes. I must have gone at least 5 times that last hour. The initial poke of the needle trying to find the port-a-cat was like a bee sting. It hurt and it was a little annoying. I went home with the pump for 46 hours of time released chemotherapy. Every hour it released 2.0 (?) I could feel a headache or dizzyness every time it was released. I have been really tired. Today, October 16th , I wasn't looking forward to them taking it out because I thought it would hurt. The needle was so long and I thought it would be just as bad coming out as it was going in. But I didn't feel it at all. Donna, the nurse told me to say "Ouch!". So I did, but I didn't feel a thing. However, the hole where the needle was located bled quite a bit. It is still bleeding a little. I fell nauseated only when I get hungry. But that's like typical even if I didn't have chemo. So I don't think that counts for anything. Anyway...1 down 11 more to go. Every time I go in I have to pay a co-pay of $329.25. What a racket the drug industry is. That is 10%. Well as my girls have said to me, "Be glad you don't have to pay for the whole thing." Okay...looking at it that way...I am very grateful.

Back View of my hairdo....

Not too bad eh...even though I cut off at least 12 inches of hair...at least now my hair when it falls out won't be long long strands on my pillow, but shorter strands on my pillow.

I can't wait to go shopping with Kristina to find 2 cute hats. One for church and one for outdoors for the public eye. I think in the house I'm just going to wear a bandana...so I might need to look for that too.

So...not too drastic looking eh!

Front View of my new hair style

This is the front view of my hair. It's still long enough so I can put it in a pony tail and I can put it up with chop sticks...Yahoo...and I still have plumeria flowers to wear in my hair!

The weather yesterday was up in the 100's wow! Good weather for growing lots of plumeria's

Before and after..New Hair Do

My hair was down to my butt...and in this picture the ends of my hair was curled...so it really is longer than this.....

Sescond Story..."Beam me up Scotty"

The post below...I told you I had two stories...I should have added this story to that post...I tried to edit the post but it wouldn't let me edit it....Jennie is going to need to help me.

The post below...what I was also trying to edit was the word blind of an eye to blink of an eye. So keep that in mind...now here is the second funny story with Cade and my mom.

One night Cade was home alone with my mom. He had his electric razor in his hand. He asked Baba, "Do you know what this is?" She replied, "No." He told her it could beam her to another dimension or planet. He ejected the sideburn razor portion ( it made this buzzing noise) and said, "Where would you like to go?" She waved her hands and said, "No, no, I don't want to go anywhere!" But Cade insisted and he waves this thing in front of her...and she is panicking...but of course it doesn't work...so then Cade says, "Darn...what is the matter with this thing...it doesn't work!" My mother is relieved and goes to her room.

When Uncle Jeff was telling us this story over dinner before the Angel game...we were laughing so hard I thought I was going to split my gut. So then to add to our laughter John tells the story of Baba coming to the family room the other night where we were sitting. She had on a knitted hat, she had on two dresses , wearing a raincoat and no teeth... John starts to sing, "Feed the birds, Tuppins .... Tuppins ...The birds... Baba toothless starts to laugh and we couldn't stop the laughter.

Life is happy when we can laugh at oursleves or others who make us laugh....so let's laugh together!

We have a commedian in the house besides Stephanie

I have two stories that will make you laugh. We have another comedian in the house besides Stephanie....what a crack up. Cade is often home with Baba because of his schedule at church. We go to church by 10:45 a.m. and he doesn't have church until 1 p.m. So when Baba decides she doesn't want to go to church she is home alone with Cade. Last Sunday...I gave her a bath and curled her hair. But if we are not ready to leave right then and there she gets tired and decides her stomach aches and doesn't want to go to church anymore because she is blind in her left eye and she doesn't want anyone at church to tell her that she is blind in her left eye. Anyway...whatever excuse she gives...she ends up in her bed. I was a little upset with her so I told her that when I come home from church she better not ask me why I didn't take her to church. (Which she does every time she doesn't go.) Anyway...so after we left....she was wandering all around the house looking for me of course. She asked Cade...where did everyone go? He explained we all went to church. So she tells him, "Oh,...I don't go to their church, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I wish cade would have told her at that point that we go to the same church. But instead he says to her..."Do you have a prophet in your church?" She tells him yes. He asks her, "What is his name?" And without a blind of an eye she blurts out, "Heber J. Grant of course!" We were all busting out laughing. I thought my porta-cat was going to burst out.

What Women go through to be skinny..my girdle story

Are

Are you ready for another good laugh...John and I were in tears over this incident. I peed in my pants and tried to stop laughing!

I told John it was time to wash my abdominal brace. It was getting dirty looking from the blood and drainage that I've been having through my naval. So He handed washed it and put it in the dryer. So I asked him...to help my stomach stay together and feel more tight should I put on a girdle. He said that would be good idea. So I told him I would need help putting it on. So he came to the bed room and I handed him this girdle. He looked at it and said to me, "I don't think you can fit this. It's too small." He starts to laugh.. and so I said, "Watch Me! I can fit this girdle, I have a dozen times."

He wasn't convinced. So I told him to hold the girdle and I would put one leg in at a time. I could see on his face that this just wasn't going to work. So I put my right leg in first. It got caught on my heel. He is trying really hard not to laugh, but can't contain himself...I told him to unhook the heel, which he did. Then I pull the girdle all the way up. Next came my left leg. And he's looking at me like...lady...this an't going to work.. how do you think you are going to get this leg in that hole. Again I told him..watch me, pull it down so I can lift my left leg in. So he does...again my heel gets caught and he has to pull it off the heel...I then wiggle the girdle up and over my stomach...and we are laughing so hard...I said, "See, I told you it would fit!"

He then with tears in his eyes laughing and so am I...you had to have been there to see me shove my stomach up and in this elastic girdle. He says to me, "No wonder you guys can't breathe wearing those things." We were rolling, literally rolling on the floor laughing. What a feat that was to put on. I could hardly wait for my brace to come out of the dryer. lol Life is full of funny adventures isn't it!!! Have a great weekend! Love mom

Passing Gas....

Couldn't sleep tonight so I got up to write in my blog....to tell you my story for the evening. Last night we were reading scriptures as a family. In the middle of reading, my mom got off the couch and was going to bed. So John told me to take out her dentures. So I quickly grabbed her tooth box and went to the bathroom near her bedroom. After I finished taking out her teeth, I came back to the kitchen table where we were reading our scriptures. It was Steven's turn so he started to read aloud. As I sat down a LOUD fart came out from under me. Everyone busted up laughing. Including me...cause I haven't been able to pass gas like I use to. They had plotted to put this whoopie cushion under my chair cover. We were laughing so hard I had to hold my stomach so that my stitches wouldn't come apart. I kept hitting John for making me laugh so hard. They were bad! But it sure got a good laugh out. Steven said it was hard for him to start reading when he knew what was going to happen. Too funny...yup this is my family...we like to play gags on each other.

My recovery...

Well...I'm doing better. I try hard not to over do it each day...but's hard to keep Taz down when the Taz is so use to running around doing so much. Since I don't sleep at night it makes it even more difficult. I would have posted a picture of me with Steven and Stephanie, but I looked pretty wiped out...not a good picture.

Last night, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. John decided he needed to exercise and lose some weight. So he got out Grandpa Joe's wheelchair and told me to sit down. He was going to walk 2 miles pushing me. So I was game...but I felt every bump as he walked down Broadway to the new Target on Euclid. We did some shopping. We bought more kitchen towels for me to monogram. The food keeps coming and when they drop off the food I give them a monogrammed towel with their name on it and a thank you note. After we left Target he went up Lincoln past the old Target through the neighborhood...jay walking across Broadway (I should say jay running...caus he was running) to get to Valley street. I am just holding me stomach so that it doesn't jiggle so much! We were a sight to see.

My stomach has been so tight since last night. I don't know if that's because I was holding it so tightly. I didn't sleep well either. I took a tynenol PM to help me sleep. It worked for the first 2 hours. Then I had to use the restroom. I got up and I couldn't fall back to sleep. My body was so restless...very jittery...like I had to move and get up and not lie down. John tried to get me to come back to bed. I was on the couch. But I just couldn't get up. I finally went back to bed at 5:30 when Steven left for seminary. I slept until 9 a.m. My mom came to my room early to try and get me up. She said she would help me get up because there was going to be a flood and we had to leave now. I told her, the flood can wait...so come and lie down with me until I'm ready to get up.

Well....I sat at the computer too long...but I had work to do. I also went into work per my bosses request to do an airline ticketing and a teacher packet. Came home and did 4 more school itineraries. I have all of April through June yet to do....so I am busy. Glad I can work out of the home.!! Thanks to Baba.

Edible Fruit basket

One of my good friends who is a tour guide sent me an Edible Fruit Basket. Isn't that beautiful! We took pictures before we devoured it. Baba ate most of the strawberries. She loves fruits!

Grace back on the road to recovery

Flowers make my day. I love to look at them and smell them. The placemat under the flowers was made my Sharon Hudson. She mailed it to me. The opposite side has a Christmas theme. It is really beautiful and adds to the decor of the table. We finally got a glass top to put over the table cloth to save our table. I'm really happy about that.

Happy 50th Birthday John

Celebrating John's 50th. He wanted Lemon Meringue Pie and Strawberry shortcake with whip cream. Of course we had his typical favorite meal of pork chops, mashed potato, and asparagus for dinner.

Doesn't that pie look good. Home made of course!

So here's to John!

Ground Zero

I was so surprised this was ground zero. Due to litigations caught up in court, nothing has been done for those who lost family members since 9/11. It is still a whole in the ground. No memorial in sight for several years to come. Too many problems surrounding the many families involved.

Palmyra Temple

We went to the first Saturday morning session. We all struggled to stay awake. But it was worth the lack of sleep to attend a once in a life time event together as a family. Everything is turned around since our mission days.

The improvements were impressive.

Sacred Grove

John had a program outlined for our family in the Sacred Grove. After hearing Steven give a talk on the Priesthood, Paul and Jonathan bore their testimonies and John concluded with his reading in the scriptures. Jennie suggested we sing a hymn. John selected Joseph's First Prayer. Gramma knew all the words. The rest of us used my little hymnal. The sound was beautiful. Kristina said a prayer and it was a wonderful feeling in the grove.

Baba Laughing

I had to put this one in. It's Gramma laughing at the Women's restroom. she farted and we all heard it. It was hysterical. Hopefully...it didn't leave a mark! We went to the restroom so many times....but who's counting...well between Jonathan, Gramma, and I...I think we should have brought our own toilet paper!

(Fixed it for you, Grace. Love, Jennie)

Go Angels

We got there almost 2 hours ahead of the start of the game. We had our own section! Rally Monkey and all, even Gramma got into it!

The Best Part of the Trip was being together as a family

Brothers, one is chocolate and the other vanilla!

Niagra Falls was awesome

Seeing the Falls again brought back so many memories from my mission. I served in Buffalo for 9 months. I was able to see the Falls in all four seasons. I even saw the Falls completely frozen over in the winter time. It was a sight to see.

Peterson New York Road Trip

Uncle Bill and Uncle Ernie join the fun in New York. They went to 3 games at Yankee Stadium. We only went to the first game which the Angels won 12 to 6. Great Game!

Gramma Grace has the touch

Baba. Gramma Grace and James in New York City! Baba doesn't remember a single day in New York, but we have pictures to prove it!! Yahoo!

First Post

This is my cute grandson! Here are pictures!


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