Sunday, April 23, 2006

I'm OK

Well surgery is over and I have finally woken up. Friday I had my lump removed. Everything went well and according to plan. Now I am wrapped up in bandages and I have a drainage tube but besides that I am doing well. Hopefully will have the tube removed tomorrow and will get pathology report on friday.

I'm OK

Well surgery is over and I have finally woken up. Friday I had my lump removed. Everything went well and according to plan. Now I am wrapped up in bandages and I have a drainage tube but besides that I am doing well. Hopefully will have the tube removed tomorrow and will get pathology report on friday.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

About Time

I turned in my last paper and did my last presentation. I have officially finished my MBA!

Monday, April 17, 2006

Easter and the rest

The Easter Bunny still found me. This past weekend Mr. Toad and I went to visit Mr. Engineer. Mom and Dad along with Poppie came to visit as well. It was really very nice. Mr. Engineer gave us a tour of his place of employment. I now have seen the inside of RCR and there are many people out there that would appreciate the opportunity more then I did. But taking a look at Mr. Engineer’s job I was really impressed with what he does. I think that he doesn’t realize how talented he is but I was really amazed at all that he has accomplished and everything he does even if I did not understand everything he said. Made me think though. I will never accomplish anything that anyone can see. Someday when I find a real job I will never be able to point to something and say I did that! Mr. Engineer can point to many things and say I did that or I worked on that. It is tangible. In my up coming time off perhaps I’ll figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

Speaking of time off. I recently made a discovery. There is more then one oncologist. The other day I met with the Radiation oncologist who gave me the pathology report. I don’t know how he got that fun announcement but he was very good about answer questions. My lump is 1.9cm, it is er- and pr- which doesn’t mean a lot to me except that because of the er- and pr- I most likely will have the chemo because my cancer is not responsive to the hormone therapies. The good news just keeps on coming. Well nothing is for sure right now except the surgery on Friday and the radiation some time later. I meet with a Medical Oncologist May 1st to discuss chemo. But despite the recent developments everything looks good and in a few months I can move on with my life. I recently got a letter from a friend who said her husband’s grandmother is a 50 year survivor.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Denial and Introductions

Ok I feel that after much harassment by my friends (oh and Window and Lumpy) I need to clarify. It is not that I don’t appreciate you worrying about me. If roles were reversed I certainly would worry about you all. But if you all continuously ask me if I am ok then that means something is wrong and I no longer can live in my little world of denial.

I guess this is where Window or Lumpy makes some comment about it being typical behavior. Me trying to be tough and making jokes to hide the fact I am terrified. It now looks like I might go out on Short Term Disability in a couple of weeks. I don’t know what happened. Everyone was playing down the seriousness of this and telling me not to worry and that I could get back to work and now people are suggesting I just take the time and stay home and take care of myself until after radiation. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I want a different hand.

Window I kept you hidden because I feared for my safety if you met the likes of Lumpy.

So Window if you ever did anything to upset Mrs. Window your in-laws could take care of you and no one would be the wiser?

I would like to thank Mr. Window and Mr. Lumpy for making me laugh.

Did I ever introduce you? Well Window, Lumpy is my best guy friend from high school. I spent years torturing him and he put up with it. In the end I couldn’t have asked for a better friend growing up and probably didn’t deserve such a good friend. Lumpy, Window was the final conquest before Mr. Toad. He is a great friend. He is a little to much like me in some ways but apparently he seems to be a little to much like you Lumpy. You both have a similar sense of humor and ability to make fun of me. Not that it is hard I know. You both are losing your hair, which reminds me…I may lose some of my hair. Do you have any tips in dealing with being bald?

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

60 years and Flowers

Sorry Lumpy to frighten you. I should have warned you before I started the post but I was just so tired of telling everyone. This way doesn’t really help though. Everyone is now emailing me. I have decided to write one letter and copy/paste as a response to everyone else. Well we all know that I never follow the easy path but I come out alright. This will be no different. Mr. Toad and I have a long ways to go but we will get there. Apparently breast cancer is not the end of the world. It is very treatable and there are millions of survivors out there. I am determined to be a survivor. I am young enough perhaps I can be the longest living survivor. I think I want to be a 60 year survivor.

Well the good news is over the last year I have decided I like pink. Now I lots of outfits to match my pink ribbon. Though sadly enough I lost the back of my pin already but I still have the front so I’ll just steal one from another pin.

Ok through this whole thing I have discovered that I have two kinds of friends. There are those who I fear are going to smother me with their concern. Calling everyday to ask how I am and calling me “poor Toad.” And giving me that look you give a sick puppy. Then there are the friends who I think will never call. It isn’t that they are horrible but they don’t know what to say so they just don’t say anything. I would have to say that before this I was the friend who just didn’t say anything. In the future I am going to try to fall in between. There is a nice medium where a friend asks “How are you?” then they believe you when you say fine and we all move on to whatever activity that was planned. I have the feeling that I am going to learn a lot about the person that I am and the person that I want to be. But it doesn’t matter how my friends try to deal with the news. I love them all and I know I can call any of them and they would help.

Enough seriousness. It is flower time. And Mr. Toad I am sure is planning his defense. I love flowers and love planting them. The thing is I’ll go to the nursery and buy everything. I want at least one of every plant and I want to put them all in our flower gardens. Just imagine how pretty it would be to have all those flowers. All different colors, short, and tall. Every one different and pretty. As many of you can imagine this can get to be expensive so this is the one time of year that Mr. Toad suddenly takes an interest in my spending habits. I say if he can’t buy me flowers I’ll plant my own. He says I don’t need more flowers. Silly boy. A girl can always use more flowers. Just remember that Window. More flowers are more better. Especially when you get in trouble with Mrs. Window. So I have all sorts of ideas for our flower gardens and I need to get it all done early this year. Mr. Toad should be happy this takes my attention away from in the house projects. I have my eye on a closet wall. Maybe when he is telling me I don’t need another rose bush I’ll just point out that I could take that wall down next time he goes to a baseball game. HUMMMM….Excellent plan. For every no Mr. Toad sends my way about the flowers I shall threaten the walls in the house.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Life will go on.

Recently I have been attacked. First there was the x-rays and then the MRIs and then the biopsies. A neverending attack of people asking questions and pointing metal objects. Strange tunnels that were not tunnels of love. It was as if everyone else has gone absolutely crazy. What do they mean that I have a lump? What is a lump anyway? Well apparently this is some alien life form that has invaded my body. I feel absolutely fine. I don't really know what to think at this point. Well the results are in. An alien form has invaded my body and must be removed they say. In a few weeks the surgeon will go and make a very small incision and kill the alien life. But to be on the safe side it will be followed up by radiation. Apparently this radiation will make sure the alien life is really dead. I hope that this works otherwise I will just have an angry life form in my chest and that will require more tests, waiting, surgery and chemo. Well it shall all be over soon and I will be ok.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Vacation, Party and Transportation

Ok is it to early to start the count down? In 87 days I will be leaving for Hawaii. I cannot wait to get there. Not really looking forward to all that time on a plane but it will be worth it in the end. What better way to start the summer season than Hawaii?
Mr. Toad and I have decided to celebrate my finishing the MBA and my last year as a young person with a party. Wine and Cheese cocktail party! Hopefully it goes better then the last party we had. I think that it is an excuse to go dress shopping. I know that I don’t have to get all dressed up but why not? The party is at my house. I can always change. I was thinking a nice sundress. Maybe I’ll even get a hat to match because that would be fun. Then I can wear it to the races.
Ok so I am very sad about my car. It has had all sorts of issues this month. I took it in for inspection and it needed new brakes and struts and I have a bent wheel and after fixing all that my headlights went out. One was just the bulb but the other side is broken and I need a new part. This makes me sad because I wanted a new bike and all my bonus money has been sent to the mechanic. Now I have to wait until April and my birthday to get my bike. Now all those who know me can probably imagine me pouting and yes I am. Perhaps Window will buy me a bike. The weather is going to be great this week and I would like to go for a ride.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Well it has been a long time and so little has happened. I finished the two classes I was taking and now face the last class of my MBA career. I have looked at the syllabus and it does not look promising for finishing up with an easy A. Just once I would like an easy A.
There has been a request that I start renovating another part of my house for the purpose of writing blogs about the process. I am sorry to say Mr. Toad does not look up to tackling another one of my projects just yet. As much as I would love to tear out the closet in my bedroom and rebuild it, I also love my marriage and fear that Mr. Toad will hire a divorce lawyer if he comes home to another demolition project. So alas there will be no more drywall but I have good news. I am allowed to paint the living room and dining room. Granted not as much fun as taking walls apart but it is still something. I just have to pick the color. Do you think that purple is a good dining room color? I was thinking something so light that at first one might not notice the color. Then I still need a trim color. Perhaps an antique white? I have already been informed that pink and purple stripes are not an option. Mr. Toad just likes to take all the fun out of renovating.
Given that I cannot tear down anymore walls perhaps my new topic might be Toad finds a new job. I have sent the resume out for fixing up. I plan on buying new interview suits (The old ones don’t fit. The gym is my friend.) I shall also get my nails done for the first time since my wedding. That will leave me with just one tiny detail left. Actually finding a job. I have had one suggestion already of being the local Swiss Miss but I feel that perhaps I should get something that requires more work then wearing a little dress and putting my hair in pigtails. I am willing to change my mind on this if the pay is good of course.
Good news! We received our yearly bonus yesterday. I am going to get a new bike. Mr. Toad and I like to go riding and my current bike is very sad so I am getting a new one. I am not sure of what I will pick yet but I was thinking about going to the store and staring at the bikes after work today until I make a decision. Problem with this way of picking a bike I tend to pick out bikes with pretty colors. Apparently this is not the way to pick a new bike for serious riding.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Alito

Well Bush has won. Alito has been confirmed 58-42 to the Supreme Court. If you have an interest in his record this is a fairly good site, http://media.pfaw.org/stc/AlitoPreliminary.pdf. Start reading the cases on page 4 if you want to skip all the abortion, Planned Parenthood controversy.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

POLITICS

Does anyone else think that if Bush were Democrat the Republicans would have strung him up by his toes nails by now?

Friday, January 13, 2006

And the New Year Begins

Hello everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting for updates on my life. Not that my life is really very exciting. I have recently been reminded that it has been a while though since I posted. So here it goes.

New Year’s was not all that interesting. I was sick so I stayed home and Mr. Toad escaped and went to the party. Not that I rested. I painted the ceiling in the kitchen twice and finished and touched up spots here and there. I also sanded most of the cupboard doors. Did we go over my extra energy? Yes even when sick I get bored and have to do stuff. But going to the party was not an option. I was much happier to have slept in my own bed and there was one friend ready to pop and a newborn there. Not a good idea to spread germs.

So since I wrote I have become the official Treasurer for the Jaycees. UGH! There are people out there who should not be in charge of bills. A bill is not paid the day you wrote the check. In fact it is not paid until you send the check and it has been cashed. If a person holds the check for 2 weeks that bill is still not paid. Do these people pay their house bills this way? Why is their credit not destroyed? I am so crazy about writing checks and paying people that perhaps I over react to all of this. Ok done with that.

So besides that I have taken up swimming with Mr. Toad three times a week, in the morning. Mr. Toad is not a fan of bright and early. He gives me very mean looks first thing in the morning but he volunteered for this and I like it. It gets me moving and wakes me up. Then I am still going to the gym after work. I know this seems like a lot of extra gym time. But I was thinking about this and there was months when I would go from track or volleyball practice to swim practice.

Class has also started. I have two classes, Tuesday night and Saturday morning. I am not a fan of Saturday morning. I don’t mind getting up early during the week but the weekend should be mine. Oh well. These two classes and then one more and I will be done. MBA here I come.

I guess that is my life right now.

Ilovcoffee….How are you? Have you been staying out of trouble?