Daily Archive: June 1, 2009
The Skype-meister
The Flahertys moved up another rung on the technology ladder yesterday when we “skyped” with Kate. Skype is an internet “phone” service. If you have a web-cam, you can send and receive “video calls”. How cool is that?
We knew about Skype from Marie and Ron, who used it to video chat with their son while he was away at school. Kate had mentioned that we needed to get a web-cam because she has one with her new laptop. So, low and behold, Barb was playing around with her new mini laptop, and she discovered that we had a web-cam. “hey! I can see myself!”. So I signed up for a Skype account and away we went.
It was so easy and so cool. We found Kate’s name in the Skype directory and “placed a call”. All of a sudden, we see and hear Kate! Sitting at the desk in her room in Texas! She can see and hear us sitting on our couch at home. Way cool. Anyway, we had a great visit. Good to see her smile. Good to see those blue eyes. Good to see she is keeping her room clean! Ha Ha! We even gave Mali and Bruno some camera time. Bruno was a bit confused when he first heard Kate calling his name. He went to the front door and started barking. Goofus! Kate was happy to see her little pudgy baby.
Kelly came home in the middle of the call and was amazed that Kate was right there in our living room, and we in her room at Sheppard AFB.
TECHNOLOGY BABY!
The Cauliflower Caper
It was funny. We had team Vandenbusch and Team Downing over for dinner saturday night. Served “mashed” cauliflower, along with tri-tip and kielbasa. It was good.
It may have been the whiskey talking, but half way through dinner Vandenbusch commented that the garlic mashed potatoes were real garlicky. HA HA!!! Its cauliflower Steve! Then Downing says something like “Hey! I don’t even LIKE cauliflower!”
Seems everyone thought it was mashed potatoes! Thats how good a cook I am, or thats how much the whiskey was talking!
Either way, we all had a good laugh over that one!
Let Summer Begin!!
We cruised up to Healdsburg yesterday for a summer solstice party. Our friends Pat and Sue were hosting their 2nd annual solstice party. We missed it last year but heard it was a blast. Its not summer unless you can take some peyote, get naked and welcome summer by dancing around a bonfire with all your friends.
Didn’t turn out quite like that but we still had a great time.
We brought along our friends John and Michelle (thanks for driving John!). It made for the long drive to Healdsburg go by fast. We pulled up the the house right as the party was starting. Al and Debbie Shull were already there, manning the bbq and tending bar. We quickly got into party mode. People were filtering in, all bringing food and drink. Before long there was a good sized crowd.
The place was perfect for a summer party. 1930’s era house on 1/4 acre lot. Nice BIG backyard with tended lawn, 100 foot redwoods, fruit trees, flowers in bloom, veggie garden, and nice covered patio area with a nice outdoor kitchen and bar.
Music filled the air. Pat lined up a few of his buddy’s to play. Acoustic guitar, base guitar and trumpet, had a jazz fusion thing going on. These guys were professionals and sounded fantastic.
There was sooo much food! And it was all great. Pat had roasted a pig. People had brought other edible delectable. Tamales, tri-tip, sausages, salads, (we brought chips and salsa). Desserts too! cookies, brownies, cakes, pies…………. ahhhhh.
We ate, we drank, played some bocce ball, made new friends and grooved to the sounds of soothing summer jazz. All in all a great party! Thanks Pat and Sue!
Good Vibes update – the long and winding road
Wanted to send out a (long over due) good vibes update. Its been almost two years since Barb got on the cancer roller coaster. For some reason I keep thinking that the ride would have been over by now, but its not. At last posting (Sept ’08), Barb had just finished up her last treatment of Herceptin, and we were pretty much thinking we were done. We celebrated by hiking Half Dome in Yosemite! It looked like most of the “bad” was behind us. Things were looking up. The next step in treatment was for her to take estrogen inhibitors (for 5 years). Without going into the how and why, taking these meds will reduce Barb’s risk of getting cancer again by 50%. Those are odds that you can’t pass up. That’s good! But…..
Those darn estrogen inhibitors are bad. Very bad! Barb’s oncologist started her on one, and the side effects were so bad that it was almost unbearable for her. I felt so sorry for her. It was so bad that at one point I couldn’t even give her a hug because it HURT to HUG!! So Barb has spent the last months trying to find the right meds that work for her with minimal side effects.
NEWS FLASH!!! ( or should I say.. HOT FLASH!) THERE ARE NONE!!!
They all have side effects and they all take a toll. Suddenly, the girl who hiked Half Dome couldn’t make it up Mission Peak. For the first time in this two year journey she was showing signs of being beaten down, and almost ready to give up on taking meds all together. Losing her job could not have come at a worse time. Right in the middle of a major med change, the effects were horrible and she was feeling as low as ever. Thats when the layoff came. It sure didn’t help things. Like Forrest Gump says; “thats all I have to say about that!”
But, dammit, no matter how far that girl is beaten down, she keeps getting back up! She is on the newest rounds of meds, and dealing with it. Good days and bad days. Bad days and good. Headaches have been so bad that that her oncologist scheduled MRI and PET scans to make sure that the cancer had not metastasized to her brain! See how it never ends!?!?!? All those scary feelings and apprehensions come rushing back. The MRI was at the place where they found the breast cancer two years ago. The place where the doctor told Barb, ” you have cancer”. Just to be sitting in that office (waiting for Barb) was creepy. Crappy. The good news is that the tests came back and Barb continues to be CANCER FREE!! The bad news is that all the side effects remain.
Barb is also 99% complete with her breast reconstruction. What started with double mastectomy in July 07, ends this month with “titty tats.” Between then and now she has had a couple of out patient procedures. First to get a “tune-up” where the doctor “evened things out” so to speak. Barb most recently went in for “nipple reconstruction” where they amazingly created nipples out of thin air. Not really, but almost! Either way, She now has nipples. The last step is this weekend, when the plastic surgeon accompanies Barb to a local tattoo artist where she will get “areolas” tattooed around her new nipples. Hence, the titty tats!
Just wanted to put this posting up to let you know that we are still on the roller coaster. Most of you know what has been going on and have helped us through. We are blessed to have such wonderful daughters, family and friends. You continue to provide support in ways that friends and family do. You ride the coaster with us, and most times make us forget we are even on it! For that we are forever grateful. GOOD VIBES!!!!
FWD:breaktime
breaktime
Cast your Worries
Sunday was a good day. The kind of day that I’ve grown to enjoy. A do nothing day! 9:30 mass was good. The homily made my ears perk up. It was about fear and worry. When Father Mat said something about “cast your worries unto the Lord” it really struck a cord with me. I am a worrier at heart. It may be genetic. Maybe an Irish thing. Either way, I have found myself worrying a lot lately. Mostly about things I have no REAL control over. Of course, worry over things you have no control over is useless. Even Father Aiden (an Irishman) adds “protect us from all anxiety and useless worry” during mass. So that’s what I decided to do. I cast them unto the Lord. And I feel better already!
No plans for the rest of the day other than beating the heat. We decided to stay home, crank up the AC, and watch some Generation Kill (MARINE CORP!) on DVD. Made a quick trip to the store to pick up turkey burger makings for dinner. I love Sundays afternoons and preparing dinner. Chopping some peppers (both sweet and hot), sipping some Jack. Chopping some garlic, sipping some Jack. A little sun dried tomatoes, all mixed into the burgers. On the grill with a little beef sausage and..sipping some Jack. Slicing some tomato. Slicing some onion. Slicing some pickles. Little romain lettuce. soft whole grain roll. Its good. Its very good.
Plus I have no worries!!
Bike Ride and Birthday Party
Saturday was a good day. Twenty four mile bike ride that beat the heat. 8am start with Vandenbusch and a Camello brother. Out the creek trail to the end of the bay. Even shook things up a bit by taking the “closed” dirt path back to Coyote Hills from Mile marker 11. Now we know why its closed. There were a couple parts of the trail that were unridable. We had to get off and walk about 200 feet of “moonscape.” Even managed to haul our asses up heart attack hill. Only at the top of heart attack did we start to notice the heat. No worry! We were heading back anyway. Right where the trail meets Decoto Road, Vandy says ” hey, that girl just fell up there. Some girl on a bike up ahead had just went down in the gravel part of the trail that leads up to Decoto Road. Poor thing. From where we were we could just see that she was down in a cloud of dust. As we got closer it was apparent. “HEY!! THAT’S BARB!” Sure enough, Barb had gone out on her own ride, had seen us, and was turning around in the gravel ( a little to fast!) when she went down. She wasn’t too worse for wear. A bit scraped on the elbow and leg. Steve pulled out his handy first aid kit and Barb was bandaged up in no time. We cruised back to Starbucks and had a coffee and scone.
That evening was Marie’s birthday party. Held “exclusively” in the restaurant at the Sky West Golf course in Hayward. I didn’t even know a place like this existed in Hayward! New and nice, right on the 1st tee. We arrived at 7pm. It was still warm but cooling down nicely. Golfers finishing up late rounds. We had a great time at the party. 50-60 of Marie’s friends and family. We knew most of them so it was nice for us. Dinner was great, Dancing was fun, and just visiting with everyone was cool. The birthday girl looked pretty that night. Whatever she is doing she should keep doing.
