Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day




Hi VP's...Happy VD!!! That's Valentine's Day...get your heads out of the gutter. Brenda and I hope you all had a wonderful day full of warmth and love with your special someone, or your extended family, or your friends, or your dogs or cats...or ALL of the above! We took Mom to lunch and, because of the weather...we ate OUTSIDE! Sorry easterners! Then we went to the movies (one of our favorite past times ) and saw "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges. It was slow, but Jeff played a really good drunk country singer. He actually has a pretty good voice!

So we've heard that a lot of you have really been getting hit hard by the winter snow storms...I've read that many cities have experienced over 3 times the usual snowfall. Michele...we laughed and laughed about your battle with the snow plow driver. Yes, it is exercise, but I'd rather go to the gym where it's warm.

We've heard so much about the horrible, snowy, cold, weather back east that we thought we would give you a visual tribute, Arizona style, of your winter situation. We feel your pain!!! Actually...we DON'T. It was sunny and 75 today! We thought you'd get a chuckle out of this picture.

All continues on track here in the Mesa-hood. Brenda has good days when she can get a good amount of sleep...quality sleep. Not the kind where you wake up every hour or so. She's working on some quilting projects and continues to work on real estate dreams of buying a cabin on a beautiful large wooded lot up in the White Mountains with our buddy Toni, our resident real estate expert. We do have a cabin up in Strawberry, about 2 hours from our home, but we'd like to sell that and find our dream vacation home and property in Pinetop-Lakeside. It doesn't cost anything to search and dream.

I seem to be going through a mid-life crisis...many of you will think I'm going through a lot more after looking at the pictures we put together today. My brother-in-law planted a seed in my brain and now we're searching for a decent 1966 to 1972, or maybe later, Triumph Spitfire for us to finish restoring. I have a long history with that type car. It was my first car back in 1967 and I drove that little thing for 10 years until it literally fell apart! Now I'm trying to reclaim my youth!! Ha! I'll keep you posted. I nearly had one on eBay but I was outbid. Poop! Well, Mark my word...I'll find one. Like I said...It doesn't cost anything to look and dream.

So folks that brings you up to date for this beautiful Valentine's Day. Bren goes to the ENT tomorrow for a check-up, she continues to work with out trainer on her rehabilitation, and next Tuesday she has chemo #3 and the half way mark will be met. YEA!

Stay warm out there...happy shoveling! OUCH!
Dee and Brenda

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Big Storm and the Big Sun





Hi VP's...well our dear, dear friend Vic from the cold, cold Pittsburgh area, came out for her annual "Arizona Spring Break" trip and she just couldn't have timed it any better. We basked in the warm, bright Arizona sun while the mid-Atlantic states suffered through one of the biggest snow storms on record. I think Vic said that the accumulations back home were something like 26" or so inches. YIKES. Most things were closed and it's taken almost a week to get the streets plowed...just in time for another blast over the next couple of days that could dump another 10 plus inches. OH! I remember those days living back in the Midwest and praying that school would be closed!! I loved the snowfall but hated the slop and the cold. The cold (??) of Arizona is what we love now!

We shoveled lots of sunshine as Cal continued to give us updates on the weather back east. I even caught Vic out in the backyard in her shirt sleeves catching some rays in one of our lounge chairs. When Vic got home, she went and stood in her front yard...with the snow up to her knees (and Vic is a very tall woman!) so we could get some perspective on the big storm they had! Then I just had to put up a picture of her out in the backyard in her shirtsleeves. As she put it..."what a difference a day makes."

We had a wonderful visit. We went out to eat, we all went shopping for new purses at Macy's, we watched movies, Vic brought her wonderful brownies AND her famous nut roll. She also cooked up some goodies for Bren...her ham and potato soup was really, really tasty. Thanks Vic for the wonderful visit and for showing me the technique to stretch out Bren's neck and shoulders.

Bren was having some sleepless nights over the last week, which was really playing havoc with her energy, but she tweaked some meds and now is sleeping soundly. In fact she was out for a good 10 hours last night. When she gets her good sleep it's like she's a new person...she has energy to do some things and she looks better...her mouth moves better and her eyes are brighter.

Things are good here in the Mesa-hood. Brenda and I have worked on taxes and those are almost done. I've also included a picture of our favorite tax-payer with her piles of medical data that she was calculating for the dear ole tax man. It's supposed to rain tonight or maybe tomorrow. Vic...I don't think it will be enough to enter any "flooding data" into my official weather report! HA!

So folks back east...hope you have fuel for your snow blowers, and I'll get the sunscreen lotion out for the weekend here...it's supposed to be around 70.

Smiles from the sunny southwest.
Dee & Brenda

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Chemo #2 = HISTORY!

Mornin everyone...it's a bright, sunny, cool (NOT cold and snowy!) Arizona morning! It's absolutely beautiful out. All's right with the world! Brenda is sleeping, the dogs are outside guarding the backyard again any coyotes, and I've checked on my farm crops...yes! I got hooked into playing "Farmville!!" Vic is coming to visit today and she's bringing her fantastic brownies...she makes the BEST brownies I've ever eaten. The temps here today are expected to hit a wonderful 70 degrees so she'll get to hang out in a t-shirt. Fantastic!

Chemo #2 was administered on Tuesday and all went well. It really doesn't take the nurses long to get Bren's treatment completed...it's just getting IN that's always the problem. We usually have to wait about an hour because they are so busy. We just block off most of the day and we're mentally good. Besides...once they have her all hooked up and I know Bren's OK...I head across the street to the Starbucks for my "juice of life" and a Coke for my girl. I'm so thankful that I'm not writing about all the horrible things we're experiencing...because we aren't!! Thank the Lord! And thanks for your continued prayers and all the positive energy. I know that's such good medicine. I just don't know how we would have made this journey without you all behind us. You all are the best!

We're anxious to spend the weekend with Vic. There's some shopping to do, the big game to watch on Sunday, and time shared laughing with a dear, dear friend...what could be better. Besides...she's bringing those fantastic brownies!! Ha!

Have a wonderful day everyone...I'll be back with more news from the home front soon.

Dee, Brenda, Abbie and Tanner