The ice cream bell

We haven't told him what that bell means yet

Catch Dawson's face plant in the cold ocean at the beginning . . .

Beach weekend

We were given the wonderful opportunity last weekend to go to Avalon, NJ. Both boys had off on Tuesday and Dave was able to work from the beachhouse on Tuesday so we had an extra day down there. The weather was great throughout the weekend (little cool on the beach) but Tuesday was a mess - cold, windy and rainy. That had been the day we were planning on visiting the OC boardwalk but had to come up with plan B. What to do with 2 boys when I am not familiar with the area and outside is not an option? I pulled out the phone book. This will sound like a public service announcement but we ended up at the local library. The boys had a good time - the children's room was empty and had some computer games they really enjoyed. We later drove into Stone Harbor and visited some stores and got some fudge. When they came home, they told me how much fun they had. I guess mom did okay.

What a difference a day makes!

I was not feeling good for the last week or so. I had nausea, lots of fatigue, general body aches and some serious headaches when I would sit up quickly or bend over and then straighten up. Unfortunately, my life does not always happen on the vertical and the headaches happened pretty frequently.

Today, I woke up feeling very refreshed - like a new person! The nausea was gone and the headaches are gone (for today) too! I had lots of people tell me today that I looked like I was feeling better. It's amazing how happy and alert you can be when your head isn't throbbing!

I just had an all-around good day. I went to the DMV (that wasn't so good) but everything went smoothly. I had a nice visit with a friend who is recovering from surgery. I surprised David at his school and he took me out to lunch (at the cafeteria). I had a good nap and then spent the evening with our neighbors for an impromptu cookout. I also made my first pitcher of margaritas tonight (for the cookout). Considering the pitcher I brought home was empty, I guess they were a hit! Some of the children almost sampled them as well because the pitcher was commonly mistaken for lemonade.

Things are moving in the right direction

I saw my radiation oncologist yesterday and was able to see the progress of the brain radiation. All of the tumors responded to the radiation and are now half the size they were. Even my untrained eyes could see the difference in comparison to the MRI done in March. The plan is to do another MRI in another month and see if there is any residual left. If there is, I will be referred to the neurological radiation oncologist about targeted radiation. The doctor seemed pleased with the progress.

I am still not feeling great. By the end of the day (even with a nap), I am pretty wiped. The doctor said it is normal considering the radiation and the steroids. But, each day is a little better than yesterday.

Mothers' Day & MRIs

When David came home from school on Friday, I usually look in his backpack and was told I couldn't because there was a surprise for me in there. When he got home, he immediately went to his room to hide something. As soon as he woke up on Mothers' Day, he brought me the present he made for me at school. It was a book where he wrote things that he loved about me and a picture frame he painted. My favorite was, "My mom is smart because she can do math problems that I don't know." Dawson also presented me with a picture of a bunny where the ears were his footprints.

We had a great dinner with both of our parents. My parents are now on their way back to Arkansas. I have been doing okay on my own. I even started exercising again. I have been sleeping better at night, too.

I had my MRI of the brain yesterday and have an appointment with the radiation oncologist on Thursday. I don't expect to hear anything before then.

Our anniversary

Today, Dave and I have been married for 9 years. I told David at breakfast and he had all kinds of questions about this. Last night, Dave and I reminisced about celebrating our anniversary 2 years ago in Ocean City, MD. We spent the weekend there and it is one of our last memories before I was diagnosed one month later.

We will be celebrating tonight by attending David's baseball game. Oh, but we will go out to dinner over the weekend.