Susie (left) and Sue - The Birthday Girls!
Back Row (l-r) Barb, Michelle, Jackie, Susie and Allison
Front Row: Sue & Jayne
The night of December 23rd took Larry, me, brother Jim and nephew Jimmy to a Bob Seger concert - Jimmy's first concert! We had a great time -- Bob was excellent!
Christmas Eve took us to Jim and Liz's home for a birthday brunch.
We then stopped at the home of friends Allison and Brian where we met up with Mike and Sue for another birthday celebration.
Christmas Day brought Jim and Liz and Jimmy to our home for dinner.
Larry enjoyed some extra days off between Christmas and New Year's allowing us an opportunity for a leisurely drive to Bartlett Lake only about 30 minutes from our home.
Larry started his new position with Freeport officially in August but was just moved into an office before Christmas. Since he now has space for more books, we delivered a load on one of his days off allowing me an opportunity to see where he spends his work days!
Welcoming 2012 brought friends to our home to celebrate complete with an awesome falling star!!! Maria and Michael (see previous post mentioning that Michael was our ring-bearer!), both former Chadronites, were able to join us.
Since moving to our Carefree home, we've fished a baby rattlesnake out of the pool, watched deer across the way while relaxing on the back porch, watched (and have heard regularly at night) a pack of coyotes as they make their way wherever they are going, enjoyed a variety of birds and most recently observed a herd of Javelina as they fed just outside our yard.
I was very pleasantly surprised one evening with a visit from former Calama expat neighbor Odessa and her son Nolan.
Our most recent visitors were Tammy and Corey (and kids) who were expat neighbors from Chile who are still in Chile but enjoying an opportunity to visit the U.S. Our mutual Central/Safford/Thatcher friends Becky and Marty (and kids) traveled to Phoenix allowing us to gather - what a treat! Mike and Sue brought Harper up for a visit too!
(L-R) Tammy, Sue (with granddaughter Harper), and Becky
Alex, 5-year-old son of Tammy and Corey, was beside himself to utilize a swimming pool and was determined to give it a try -- he didn't last long.
So, the time since Thanksgiving and our trip to Portland and Vancouver has gone fast. Christmas was a joy in our new home and we are thankful and blessed to have dear friends and family so near and welcome visitors ANY time they are able to make it our way.
The new chemo treatment in the form of a pill is going very well (because I feel great!) but scans will tell the true story. I'm scheduled for PET and MRI scans on February 6, and we'll learn the results of those on the 7th. I realize feeling good isn't an indicator as to if the drug is working or not but what the heck -- I'm going to keep a mindset that it is a reflection that the drug is doing its job and doing it well!! You're going to see me in a picture soon, maybe even by the next post, without a scarf. This new drug therapy only affects those nasty cancer cells and their ability to reproduce which means it is allowing my hair to slowly but surely grow back. I've heard several stories of how hair comes back different after chemo - mine appears to be as fine and thin as it always was - just grayer! Nonetheless, I'm very much looking forward to not wearing a scarf.
Several members from the Todd side of the family (Nebraska and Portland) are traveling this way beginning the end of this week providing me with plenty of photo fuel for the next blog
We're wishing you all health and happiness in 2012!!!
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